Life is the journey, not the destination
by Oh Please
Summary: What happened in the large gap of time between the fall of her two friends and their departure at the crossroads. Where did they go from here? They were the closest thing any of them had to family and they walked away. NEW CHAPTER - Jin wakes a bit.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER- As much as I wish I did, I do not own any creative rights to Samurai Champloo. I only own a legally purchased set of the DVDs and the 2 Manga books that are currently available in bookstores. Oh, wait, I also own the playstation game of Samurai Champloo. No animals were harmed in the scripting of this story.

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It hurt to run. Her ribs that were broken screamed with every breath and jarring step. Her mind was blank with panic as the executioner of her father stalked behind her at a leisurely pace. Where could she go? How could she save herself? Although her friends had rescued her in many situations in the past few weeks that they traveled together, she still thought like the orphan that she was. Relying on only herself to get out of trouble.

The assassin was confident in his ability to catch the staggering slip of a woman who attempted to elude him. Stupid girl ran straight towards the cliff. It didn't really matter. This was an island. There was no where she could go that he couldn't eventually find her. His smile was evil and full of self satisfaction. He loved a job well done.

He had been furious that his top assassin had somehow failed to remove this girl's protectors. It was unimaginable. Sarah was beyond the best of his students. She was practically a killing machine. Something must have interfered since there was no way that a homeless samurai and a criminal had beaten her.

Fuu was no longer thinking rationally. The pain and panic had wiped her mind of all rational thought. 'Run! Run! Run!' her mind screamed. Flashes of memory of his sword casually slashing down and ending her father's life distracted her. She stumbled for the millionth time today. The words echoed through her head as the killer announced that he was to kill Kasumi, his family and retainers. She was his only remaining family. So she was marked for death just for having found her father. 'Why?'

Her mind barely registered the sound of careening sea gulls and crashing waves in the distance. She was moving automatically as the pain in her arms and legs dragged her further into exhaustion. She tasted the blood in her mouth from coughing against the pain in her chest. Each ragged breath felt like a knife cutting into her side.

Her mind tried to steer her towards the path that lead to Mugen. If she could somehow get back to Mugen, maybe she could help him and he could help her. A quiet wish echoed in her mind, 'I hope Mugen's alright.' Maybe she could get back to the boat dock and escape to the mainland?

Suddenly, her mind and legs came to a skidding halt. Her own momentum nearly pitched her aching body to the ground. The evil man behind her laughed and his voice carried over the louder crashing of the waves that she could hear from her vantage point at the edge of the cliff. How did she end up here with no way out? She finally realized that she could not go forward, left or right. There was nothing but the oblivion of death over the edge of a cliff. She turned quickly to see if the man was far enough away that she might be able to rush past him and back the way she came to search for an alternate path. But no such luck. The man was there. So close that she could see the fine detail of his clothing. She could see the lines along the side of his mouth that strained from the unused smirk of pleasure from the end of a chase.

'NO!' her mind screamed in fear. She couldn't die like this. Her survival instinct has always been unusually strong for a female of her age, but she had been taking care of herself for many years before her mother died. She had done many bad things that her mother had not approved of and been exposed to some of the worst parts of life. She should be able to find a way out!

The assassin was talking but the words didn't register over the internal conflict of not being able to run coupled with the screaming pain from her body. The edges of her vision were blurry with little white sparkles. She remembered this feeling from when she had once passed out from not eating for more than a week. She couldn't faint in front of her executioner. She just couldn't!

Her mind registered the sounds of voices and then swords clashing. Her vision cleared as she saw Jin engaged in a battle to the death to protect her. 'Oh God! Jin!' Then the clanging and swishing stopped to be followed with an eerie silence. The evil assassin tumbled to the ground like a puppet dropped by a child. She screamed out her friend's name. Jin swayed as Fuu noticed the assassin's sword buried in Jin's back. Before she could hardly even breath after the agonizing scream she let out, an explosion rocked the cliff and she turned in the direction of the church where Mugen was fighting. The plume of smoke rose frighteningly close to where she had last seen her other friend. Another scream tore from her ragged throat as she screeched out Mugen's name.

What was going on? Her mind clicked into action mode. Jin was before her, and her first priority. She ran up to him as he swayed dangerously. How disastrous would it be for him to fall backward onto the sword still protruding from his body? She was used to patching up her friends. It was inevitable considering they were sword fighters. But it usually wasn't that bad since they were both the tops of their field. His beautiful blue top hung in tatters leaving his chest half exposed. She looked at the huge gash across his abdomen that sliced through to his back and swallowed hard. It looked worse than the wound Mugen received from Sarah, but similar. She knew what to do, but it looked like it had bled for too long. Where had he gotten so injured? She resolved that she would think about that later.

He leaned into her tiny frame for support as she caught him from falling onto his face. She would not let him fall. Not only would it be bad for his injuries to have dirt invade them, it would injure his pride. Jin was the epitome of pride. She helped him to a large boulder next to the path that lead to the cliff and gently sat him there. It made her sick to think that she would have to hurt him more by pulling that disgusting sword out of his flesh, but she knew she was the only one who could. "Jin. I have to take care of this sword. I'll try not to hurt you." Her voice was barely above a breathy whisper close to his ear.

Jin smiled through his pain and gasped in his sultry voice, "Don't worry. You can't make it worse."

She staggered slightly as she realized he was probably right. Her numb legs carried her behind Jin to where the sword dangled. At least half of the blade was not visible as it disappeared into Jin's lower back, just above his hip bone. She didn't want to touch that tainted handle that dripped the life blood of her friend. She almost asked him if it would be better for her to pull it out swiftly, or slowly, but realized she was stalling and each minute was filled with his life dripping away. She gently but firmly grasped the hilt of the sword without changing its angle in his wound. It was obvious from the slash that the sword was making below the entrance wound that the sword had gone in level with the ground, and that the weight of the hilt was slowly cutting further into his flesh as gravity pulled it down. Since she knew the back side of a blade was not sharpened, she decided to lift the sword up and keep the pressure going up so the sharpened edge would not cut further into his body. It would not be comfortable, but it would prevent further injuries. In one swift movement that Jin would have been proud of, Fuu lifted the sword and pulled it out as straight as it had entered his back. She heard the agonized gasp as Jin reacted to the pain and she felt horrible. 'At least he's still alive.' Her mind tried to comfort her.

She threw the hated sword as far away as she possibly could with her waning strength, and fought against the urge to empty her stomach. She turned to face Jin, the task of binding his wounds first and foremost in her mind, but Jin caught her hands and stilled them. His gentle voice prodded her mind, "We need to see about Mugen." Shock registered on her face. How could she have forgotten about Mugen. The explosion? A memory of his slashed face and sodden hair flashed before her eyes as he promised her he would not die at the hands of the insane man with the chain sickle. Her mind balked at remembering the evil man that Mugen had rescued her from and the things he had done to her. She didn't have time to break down.

She didn't argue with Jin's demand, she simply shifted her body under his arm on his uninjured side, and grasped his arm and helped steady him as he rose from the boulder. Her ribs popped and pain tore through her side as she adjusted to take some of his weight on her shoulders, but she ignored it. What did pain matter when her friends' lives were at stake?

The trip down the path to the beach took longer than she could have imagined, but she was barely aware of the time passing. Jin stumbled along with her help and she tried to keep pressure against the wound in his back with her arm that was secured around his waist to help balance him. It was all she could do since he wouldn't let her stop and bandage him or sew up the gapping hole. She did notice that the wind was increasing as they neared the beach, and it was becoming colder as the night approached. The setting sun bathed everything with a tint of red.

The sight of Mugen was a relief and still cause for alarm. He was sprawled out on the ground on his back. He had apparently not moved since they started their journey down from the cliff. This could be bad. He was not the type to lie around when there was a battle going on. Jin pointed to a rock near Mugen's body and Fuu helped him sit there. It was close enough that Jin could see the extensive injuries scarring the other man. Fuu failed to see the whisper of concern that crossed Jin's usually impassive face as she raced over to her bushy-headed friend.

"Mugen!" echoed off the cliffs surrounding them. All she could see was the red tint cast over his still body by the sunset. He was never still, unless he was unconscious. He looked like he did when she found him washed up on the shore after he had been betrayed by Mukuro. He had been almost dead then too. She hated him still. He should be jumping, twitching, fidgeting, picking his nose or ear...some movement. Her breath caught in her throat. 'Is he even breathing?' Panic gripped her again at the thought, and she ignored her protesting body as she collapsed by his side. She watched closely for any sign of movement of his chest. 'Was that a breath?' Cold sweat tickled down the back of her neck and down the ridge of her spine where her yukata didn't touch her skin. She began talking to him. She had no idea what she was saying, much as she had babbled when she had been helping Jin down the path. Her life had taught her, when in doubt, talk, a lot. Maybe something important and meaningful would slip out in her ranting.

Then he moved. 'Ah, thank God! He moved. He's not dead!' She sighed and felt as if she would turn into a puddle if she were not careful. For right now, both her friends were alive. Mugen rose to his feet. 'Is that such a good idea?' she thought. What was going on? She watched Mugen approach Jin who was peering up at him through his inky black bangs. She only caught an occasional word between their exchange. Were they going to fight? 'No way! They were barely alive! Why would they try to kill each other now?'

They squared off against each other in their formal fighting stances. All her hard work to avoid this moment was for nothing. All the work to get the two to be friends, all the worrying and planning, and it couldn't avoid the inevitable. One of her two best friends would be dead after this fight. She turned her head in bitter disappointment and sadness. 'How could it end like this?'

The single ringing clang of metal pierced the growing darkness of the twilight. She could not look. She could not watch one of her friends fall. She would rather die herself. When a loud thump followed the clang, she finally forced herself to look. Both men were lying face down in the sand. 'No!' her mind squealed. She felt her heart crack in two and crumble. 'I lost both of them.'

She had no idea how she ended up kneeling between the broken bodies of the two glorious fighters that she called friends and family. Her dazed mind couldn't understand anything. She just sat there and watched. Finally, it occurred to her that they were both still breathing. The white sparkles returned to her vision as the tears streamed down her face in relief. 'They are still alive.' She didn't care how or why, but they were both still in this world. Her teeth clenched as she stubbornly jutted out her jaw. 'If they were still alive now, she'd be damned if she let the afterlife have them! They were hers and she would fight the Devil himself to keep them!'

Her mind switched back into nurse mode and she scurried back to where she had seen Mugen's ragged shirt. This would work for bandages. 'Now, to inspect and clean the wounds.' The only water that was available was the ocean. Although, she hated the idea of adding salt to the wounds, she had no choice, and she didn't think either man would rouse enough to even notice. She worked quickly, as she was losing her light. She would need a fire to see by, and to stave off the cold that was creeping in across the rolling waves. She scrambled for driftwood and dug the flint out of her kimono. It wasn't long before her little fire provided enough light to see the injuries. Mugen had a slice across his side, a bullet hole in his abdomen, a crushed hand and a broken arm. Jin had a gaping slice through his entire side and the sword wound in his lower back that exited his stomach. Both were equally damaged and losing large amounts of blood. She began with Jin and cleaned and bandaged his major wounds. In only a few minutes, she had staunched the flow of blood and turned to Mugen. She couldn't be concerned with his smaller wounds so she worked on the bullet wound and the gash. Later she would attend the broken bones. Her first priority was to stop the bleeding.

After she had used up most of the shirt, Fuu sat quietly beside her friends and watched them breathe. She had no way of telling how long she sat there. Time seemed to stop and have no meaning. The only time that was important was the duration between the exhalation of each man's breath, and the time it took to inhale a new one. She knew that one or both could just stop breathing and be gone in the blink of an eye. She had seen that too often in her short life. Her eyes felt fuzzy and scratchy from the salt in the misty air that blew in her face off the ocean. Her little fire flickered and danced as it consumed her dwindling supply of driftwood. Finally, the idea clicked in her dazed mind that she needed more wood to keep the men warm. As she unfolded her body into a standing position, every muscle and joint creaked and ached in protest. She didn't even really care anymore. She had to keep them alive since they both had fought so hard to stay alive.

The night wore on in endless agony and anticipation as she watched them breath. She had never realized how important such a simple function was. Her life hung in the balance of a simple breath. She began shivering without even really noticing. Each racking shiver hurt terribly as the muscles contracted over her broken and bruised ribs. Again, realization was slow in coming. When it did, she had to wonder if she took a blow to the head somewhere. 'I can't leave them here on this cold and windy beach. In their weakened condition, they will surely get sick. And there might be other assassins looking for us.' She thought of her father's shack back up on the top of the hill. The path rose along the cliff face, then turned back towards the middle of the island and Kasumi's house. She couldn't stand to return to the place of her father's execution. Was there someplace else that would protect and shelter them? Her mind wandered over the sights she had barely taken in on her struggle to run away from the church after Mugen had ordered her to leave. There was a small shack closer to the cliff that seemed to be deserted. Would that work? All it had to do was block off the wind and hide them from any more prying Shogunate spies.

"Ok, so I know where to take them. The next question is, do I wait until the morning or do I try to move the guys tonight?" She tried to look into the darkness beyond the circle of light cast by her waning fire. She could barely see the lighter soil that indicated the path as it carved its way up the dark, looming figure of the cliff side. The moon had risen, and although it was not full, it provided enough light to travel the path. She could not trip while carrying her precious injured friends. She would have to be extra careful.

She knew she could carry one at a time. She had done the same thing when she had carried the washed ashore Mugen to a fishing hut after he had nearly drowned. It wasn't really carrying, more like putting his arms around her neck and dragging him on her back. He would be lighter now since he was not water logged and carrying a sword. She didn't care how much that stupid sword meant to him, whether it was his "warrior's soul" or what. It was too heavy, and she was too exhausted to carry the extra weight.

So, which would she carry first? If she carried Jin, who seemed to be lighter, she might tire so much that she couldn't come back for the heavier Mugen. But, she was only guessing that Mugen was heavier. She knew Jin was leaner, but he was also taller. Both men were solid muscle, but Mugen was a bit broader and more defined. She had only seen Mugen naked at the hot spring when he was making a move on Sarah. She had looked away as quickly as she could, but she had still managed to see more than was healthy for a 15 year old girl's fantasies. She had also seen Jin's upper body when they were about to be executed at the Hakoni check point after Mugen didn't return at the appointed time. More fantasy fodder. Jin didn't have the rippled stomach that Mugen had, but Jin's sleek body reminded her of the power of a glistening horse. Mugen was brute strength and Jin was fluid strength. Funny, since they were so evenly matched in fighting, they were probably evenly matched in heaviness.

She decided to drag both men to the beginning of the path where the grass was lush and thick. That way she could tell which was heavier and the other could rest on a soft bed of grass while he waited. She started with Jin since his arms were not injured like Mugen's. It was a bit awkward and unsettling to wrestle the limp man onto her back. She could feel his head loll against her shoulder as she pulled his arms up onto her shoulders. She crossed them across her chest and gripped them gently. With a bit of trouble, she worked her way up onto her knees and pushed up to her feet. He was so much taller than her that his knees barely cleared the ground. Her ribs protested at the extra weight on her back that was trying to squash her down. Still, she gritted her teeth and proceeded to drag the tall man to the beginning of the path. Once outside the circle of the fire light, her eyes slowly adjusted to the natural light of the moon and stars, and she found just the perfect place to rest him. It was tough to let him down easily so she didn't cause him further injury, but her own pain didn't matter. After quite a bit of effort, Jin was laying comfortably as if he had simply fallen asleep watching the stars.

The sweat that had accumulated in her hair and across her neck and face chilled in the stiff breeze blowing in her face as she turned and headed back towards her dying fire. She frowned as she tried to figure out how to do this without damaging Mugen's hand and arm. She couldn't pull on the broken arm for fear of tearing the muscle. He was a fighter. There was no way she was going to be responsible for crippling one of his main weapons, his arms. So, she was going to try and do this with only one arm to hold onto. She tapped her finger on her chin and untied her obi. She was going to use it to tie him to her around the waist. That would help to keep him steady and keep all the strain off his one good arm. She laid the obi on the ground next to him, and then rolled him onto his bad side. Having done that, she could pull the extra length of obi out from under him. She laid herself down in front of him and pulled his good arm over her shoulder as she pulled the ends of the obi together in front of her waist and tied a good secure knot. It was more work to roll him up onto her back, but she used his arm for leverage and determination did the rest. She was panting heavily by the time she was up on her hands and knees with him draped over her back. "Yea, he hasn't lost any weight since Mukuro." She panted sarcastically.

After a few moments of resting in this position, she had caught enough of her breath back to struggle up to her knees then feet. The night was wearing on and the pains from this awful day were getting hard to ignore. Somewhere along the trail to where she had left Jin, Fuu decided to take Mugen up the hill first. No point in untying him since this was working so far. A strange giggle tried to bubble up from her raw throat as she staggered just a bit starting up the cliff path. Somehow she tried to imagine what Mugen would think right now if he woke up. She held his good arm across her chest and could only imagine him making some snotty comment about the size of her boobs.

The trek up the path didn't take as long as she thought it would, mostly because her mind kept zoning in and out of reality. She tried to keep a tight hold on the dangling arm while ignoring the screams of pain that accompanied each breath. The physical exertion was taking its toll on her body. Her throat was parched from all the shallow panting she was doing through her mouth but she could still taste the metallic tang of blood.

She struggled on and didn't even really notice when she had crested the top of the cliff. She almost passed the shack before she saw it. Her eyes opened in shock and she stumbled as she changed her direction and braced herself against the door frame. She peered inside. It wasn't much, but there was a wooden floor to keep the guys off the cold, bare ground. She couldn't see through the dark in the shed to see if there were other supplies that would be helpful, but this was good enough. She could possibly scavenge what she needed from her Dad's house. The thought of returning there made her shudder.

She struggled further into the shed and felt around cautiously with her hands and feet to find a clear place to lay her friend. When she was sure it was safe, she collapsed to her knees. The jarring hurt most every part of her body, and she was thankful that Mugen was not aware of any pain the hard landing might have aggravated. A few minutes later she had the obi untied, and gently laid her friend down in as comfortable a position as possible. She gently moved the hair away from his pale face and sighed into the silence. "One down, one to go. No problem. I've done harder things." She snorted a quiet laugh so it wouldn't hurt her ribs. She couldn't think of anything harder she had ever done, but it didn't matter. Jin was quietly waiting on her. He had given his life to protect her. She could do nothing less.

Her eyes blurred as she stirred from the darkness beside Mugen. She knew she could rest later. Her feet dragged as she exited the calming shed, and she followed the scraggly path back towards the cliff. When the path tilted downwards, it took her by surprise and she had to struggle not to tumble all the way back towards the ocean. It wouldn't be good to land on Jin at the bottom. After many slides and stumbles, she was standing at the bottom of the path staring at Jin's seemingly sleeping body. "What does Bushido say about lying around and accepting help from a girl?" Fuu taunted the unconscious man. Anything to keep moving.

She knelt and hoisted Jin's limp body up onto her back and wrapped his long graceful arms around her neck. His skin seemed cooler than it should have been. How long had he lain in the grass away from the warmth of the fire? She should have hurried back sooner. She should have left him by the fire. She should have... Her mind stopped as she felt his gentle breath tickle the skin of her neck. Up on her feet once again, she noticed that he really wasn't all that much lighter than Mugen. But he was definately taller. She felt slightly bad that his knees were dragging the ground in places as she struggled back up the path. She hoped that the heat radiating off her back would help warm him. It was all she could do at the moment.

The second trip up the path was pure torture. Her back and legs screamed from the strain. Her pace had to be slowed to keep her ribs from protesting with every breath. She even had to stop half way up and try to balance herself as she began swaying and her vision dimmed. She kept talking to herself. "Just a bit more. It's not much. Besides, Mugen would hate me if he didn't have a chance to kill Jin because I dropped him." A smirk tickled her lips as she remembered the two men performing their "morning workout" when they were all half dead from lack of food. "Men are so strange." But if she was truthful with herself, she wouldn't have it any other way. She couldn't imagine her two boys being all friendly and loving towards each other. That would be just too weird. She was comfortable with the normal interactions, although they would not be normal to any outsider. She smiled again. It was nice to be on the inside. To have inside jokes, to have shared memories, to rely on each other. Her mind wandered over the weeks they had been together and how they had each grown and changed.

The hut loomed out of the darkness and she released a thankful sigh. Now she could rest and care for her two friends. Her mind began listing all the things she would need for their recovery. Fire, food, bandages, water, clothes, weapons. She would have to scavenge once she was sure the guys were settled. For now, all she could do was drag her precious cargo to a safe haven and keep vigil over them to ensure they kept breathing. Into the dark she ventured once again. Only this time, it was not something to fear. The dark would hide and protect them. She fell to her knees at the threshold of the doorway and crawled the rest of the way to where she had placed Mugen. Jin remained draped over her back even though she was no longer holding his arms. His lean pale arms dragged the boards under her body and his hands almost ended up under her knees as she crawled. His legs stretched out behind her like the wake of a ship. Her mind snickered as she pictured Jin as the world's strangest coat.

Finally, finally, she reached Mugen and carefully stretched her body out on the floor with Jin fully covering her. She gently rolled his weight to the side and he slid onto his back. That was as far as her strength could take her. She couldn't force her body to move another inch. She couldn't even find the strength to roll away from Jin. Maybe her addled mind was thinking this would be the best way to keep him warm since there was no way to start a fire. She wasn't even sure if there was a fire pit hiding in the shadows that inhabited everything beyond the doorway. A new fear loomed in her fading mind. 'What if Mugen had stopped breathing while she was gone. I wasn't here to chase the crow men away.' She tilted her head to look at the pirate. Nothing was visible. So, she did the only think she could. She reached out and placed a shaking hand on his chest. Rise and fall. "Thank God!" she sighed and closed her eyes. She knew it was almost dawn but she just couldn't stay awake any longer.

Sunlight glared over her eyelids, barely registering to her exhausted brain. Where was she? Why was everything hurting? The last time she felt this bad she had guzzled sake thinking it was water and passed out to find herself manhandled by an ogre. She tried but she couldn't remember any sake. She felt like she should open her eyes, but she was too tired to think straight. Besides, Mugen or Jin would take care of things in the morning. Sensations began to filter into her mind, other than the pain that laced her entire body. She was sleeping directly on a hard floor. Floor? An inn maybe? If so, wouldn't she be sleeping on a futon? So, not an inn. But, not a tatami mat either. Hmmm. Then she felt a soft, warm cushion under her head. No futon but a cushion? This just got stranger and stranger. Then she felt her right hand resting on something also warm, that was moving slightly. Huh? It was finally too much. She had to crack open at least one eyelid. She opened the one closest to the pillow and saw a weird site. She was looking down the length of a bare, pale arm. It started under her head and stretched out to a long-fingered hand far away from her face. Also, at the end of the hand, was the side of Mugen's head.

Reality snapped back to her mind in a flash of wrenching movement. She jack-knifed up into a sitting position and nearly screamed at the gouge of pain that splintered through her ribs. She spun on her rear and was facing the two unconscious men. She stilled herself to watch carefully. There! Jin inhaled! Thank goodness. Then she turned her eyes to Mugen. Yes! He inhaled too. She lowered her head in prayerful thanks that they made it through the night. She felt like a horrible friend for having fallen asleep while they were in such a fragile state. Still, all she could do for quite a while was stare in amazement. They had come for her. Mugen had saved her from the insane brothers who wanted revenge for something that happened in Mugen's pirating days. Jin had saved her from the assassin who was ordered to kill her simply because of who her father was. Images of her father assaulted her fragile consciousness as she relived the meeting with him that was cut short by his assassination. She had come all this way to hit him, to vent her anger at having been left behind like garbage, to hurt him for all the lonely nights her mother had suffered through. But it wasn't enough. It wasn't nearly enough. Yet, it was all she would ever have. Somehow, she would have to forgive him for a lifetime of hurts that would have to be put away like her childhood toys. Forgive him, not for his sake, but for hers, so she could go on with her life without carrying all that anger and bitterness.

A noise alerted her to a presence drawing near to their hiding place. She spun her head around looking for some type of weapon to defend her precious friends. Nothing in the shed but rusty tools. Then, she spotted the Wazakashi peeking out from the tattered remains of Jin's beautiful blue Gi. Quicker than one would expect from a girl, she drew the short sword and gained her feet. She had watched the two in action enough times that she could fake a fighting stance. And she was fueled with the determination of a lioness protecting her cubs. Fear fled before the anger that bubbled to the surface to think another assassin might have been dispatched to see if the first had succeeded. 'How dare they try to kill her friends. If they wanted me, that's one thing, but to come after her friends just like Sarah had!' That was unthinkable!

Shuffling footfalls echoed in the dank hut and Fuu kicked herself when she saw there was a door on the building that she could have closed and kept them undetected. It was too late now for second guessing. She would face whatever walked into the hut like her friends would. She almost jumped the small figure as it passed into view from her position just inside the doorway. A squeak left the throat of the old man as he caught a glimpse of a figure hiding in the shadows of the hut. Without thought, the old man threw himself back away from the doorway as if he had been thrown. Fuu lowered her sword as she finally recognized the man as the old man who had let her in to speak with her father. But, didn't the assassin kill him? She looked him over to see if he was a ghost, and noticed that he had a large bloody bandage wrapped around his head. Maybe the assassin had only knocked him out to get to her. The assassin must have meant to take care of her, then return for her father's retainer. The rusty voice of the old man cried out, "Fuu! You're alive! Oh, I was so worried when I woke and could not find you."


	2. Chapter 2 1st day after death

The adrenaline that had been coursing through her veins began to fade and left a trembling, shaking mess behind. Her knees felt like water and she had to lean against the frame of the door as the old man gushed before her. The words didn't sink in, but she could tell by the tone that he was happy to see her. The Wazakashi sword that she had drawn from Jin's broken Daisho dropped to the floor from her nerveless fingers.

The old man came barely up to her shoulders, and he tried to hug her in his happiness to find her alive. The pressure against her ribs caused her to cry out and the old man began apologizing as he looked around to take in the situation. He caught sight of the two bandaged men behind the daughter of his great master and wondered what in the world had happened that she was guarding them. He slipped into his role as caretaker and ushered her back into the cool room to inspect everyone's injuries.

As she was leaning heavily against the back wall of the shed, her mind wandered to this kindly old man. She whispered, "I'm sorry, I never caught your name. You were taking care of my father?" The old man's voice was high pitched and reedy as he bowed to her and introduced himself. "My apologies. I am Kato Shiki. I was honored to serve your father for the last twenty years." He raised slightly to look at the rough condition of the girl before him, and then at the two men lying on the floor. "If you would allow me, I can go and collect supplies to aid you and your companions. You should be safe here since no outsiders are allowed to travel in this direction. The townspeople were loyal to your father and will alert us if anyone comes from the mainland."

Fuu simply nodded her head in assent and watched the little man shuffle out the door back into the sunshine. With no real energy to remain upright, she let her tired and aching body slide down the wall until her rump hit the floor. A sigh escaped her as her legs slid out until they were sprawled out between her sleeping friends. There was no way she could move another muscle unless something life-threatening occurred. She made one more check that the guys were breathing before her heavy eyelids closed out the harsh world and she knew nothing.

The darkness of her mind was not peaceful and quiet. Scenes from the horrible day replayed in her mind in a jumbled fashion. Jin's hair billowing behind his staggering figure. Mugen's hair water slicked to his head. The assassin's blade slicing through her father's body. The awful eye patch man who hurt her. Colors and memories swirled uncomfortably through her mind's eye.

She had no way of knowing how long it had been before she felt a hand gently on her shoulder, waking her from this awful place. The old man was kneeling before her with an armload of bandages and a jar of salve. His squeaky, high pitched voice whined, "Lady Fuu, if you would permit me, I would like to dress your wounds. I have a great deal of experience treating battle wounds since I was the retainer of such a great Samurai." His kind old eyes pleaded for her cooperation.

It took her a minute to adjust and realize what he was saying. She was slightly shocked to think of this old man, with wrinkly, old-man hands touching her skin. It was indecent. Still, how well could she wrap her own ribs when every little movement hurt? Not to mention any cuts and scrapes that might need cleaning and covering. She looked the old man over wondering if he was a perverted old man, or if he could be trusted. So far as she could tell, he had not turned them in to any authorities. Of course, she wasn't sure if that was because he did not want to, or if there just were no authorities to be found on this little island.

She had to give this Kato Shiki credit for the fact that he had apparently been taking care of her father in secret. It seemed like the entire village had been protecting Kasumi Seizou's whereabouts when she had been frantically asking where he could be found. Had that only been yesterday morning? It seemed like a lifetime ago. Of course, it had been a lifetime ago, her father's lifetime, which had been ended.

The little old man cleared his throat to get her attention and asked, "Miss?" She finally just nodded her head. She truthfully didn't care much for propriety at this moment. She could barely sit up on her own and if she wasn't careful, the darkness that hovered around the edges of her vision would reclaim her.

The old man wisely did not attempt to move towards her, he only motioned for her to untie the knot of her obi. She felt like a little child whose mother was getting her ready for a bath. As her fingers fumbled with the bow, she quietly asked, "Is there anywhere I could bathe before you bind my wounds. I feel gritty." A bath had been the one luxury that she had missed the most in their travels. She could live with or without the soft bed, and even though she loved to eat when she got a chance, she had gotten used to the hollow feeling in her middle. But to be dirty from walking annoyed her more than even Mugen's grumblings about her lack of womanly proportions.

The old man smiled a grin that caused the corners of his eyes to crinkle up and nodded his head. "I think that could be arranged. Give me a moment." Then he placed the healing supplies on a clean towel and exited the shed. Her mind drifted as she watched her bodyguards breathe repeatedly, "Where in the world is he going to get a bath out here?" It would probably be a good idea to bathe the guys. They had sweated heavily since she had cleaned them by the ocean. Pain will do that to a body.

As she waited to see what would happen next she tried to make a plan of what to do during their recovery. First, she needed to know if there were anymore deranged killers or assassins on the island, and see if the ferryman would notify her if anyone new came across.

How had the assassin known where to find them? This was the 3rd assassin since she had teamed up with the guys. The fourth, if you counted the one that came for her right after her Mother's death. Fuu had thought for sure that no one knew who she was when all this started. She had spent a year in hiding, working at the old couple's tea house. She had even given them only her nickname of Fuu instead of her real given name. But, the first assassin had not been after her, or sent by the Shogun. It had been that crazy guy that Mugen had injured in the tea house fire. The Governor's son's henchman had hired that queer old assassin to distract Jin. Had the Governor sent a message to the Shogun about the two samurai that had killed his son, and were to be executed? She really didn't think that crooked official had close ties to the Government. But, possibly, after the fact, they had figured out who she was after her aiding in their escape.

Boy, the escape had been exciting. The guys always acted like she was a brainless idiot, but she got them out, didn't she? And her plan worked even though she had no time to really formulate anything elaborate. Of course, the young men of the local gang that she ran with when she was younger valued her for her quick and unorthodox thinking.

The second assassin attempt had been Sara, the blind musician. It had hurt Fuu's soul that she had turned out to be the enemy. It had been wonderful traveling with the other woman. She helped Fuu put her thoughts and feelings about the quest and her companions into perspective. Both men were too important to her. Having to choose one to accompany Sara had nearly destroyed her. But, Fuu's kind heart couldn't turn away a perceived woman in distress and Sara's plight had played right into Fuu's own weakness. A parent wanting to return to their child against all odds. It was exactly what Fuu had dreamed of her own Father doing. Unfortunately, it had all been a lie to kill those protecting Fuu in hopes of stopping her from continuing on to Nagasaki to find her Father. Sara had almost taken out Jin, and had seriously wounded Mugen. Fuu had felt such a sense of betrayal when she realized that Sara was also an assassin, and it was Fuu's fault that the guys were injured. Sara had been the first that Fuu was aware of that had been sent to kill her bodyguards after her mother's death and Fuu went into hiding.

It seemed all the bad encounters occurred after their passage through the Hakone check point. Did they record hers, Mugen's and Jin's names in their log books? She rather doubted it since they didn't have legal passes, and were being held as prisoners. But still, there might have been some paperwork with their names or likenesses on it. Or maybe, it was their time spent in Edo with Jouji, the Dutchman. After all, that was her first encounter with a Christian. And it seemed that her Father's religion was what had him marked for death. Maybe Jouji was being watched closer than anyone thought?

Well, no matter how the Shogun knew where she was, it was certain, that when this assassin Kariya did not return to report, more would be dispatched to find them. They would have to get off the island as soon as possible. It wasn't a good idea to be trapped in a place where there was only one exit. It was too easy to be cornered. They needed to go someplace where they could blend into the background and be unnoticeable.

Fuu let out a breathy laugh at trying to picture Jin and Mugen as being unnoticeable. Jin was strikingly beautiful and skilled, and Mugen was scruffy with felon tattoos on his wrists and ankles. Hmmm. Without his glasses, Jin really didn't stand out as much as he had before. It didn't take long to realize Jin's glasses had only been for show. Fuu had begun to think that the glasses were a way for Jin to stand out so the avenging students from his dojo could find him easily and exact their revenge for his perceived wrong. He seemed to feel he needed punishment in some way for that unfortunate incident. She also thought that possibly, Jin used the glasses to draw out the ones behind his sensei's attempt to kill him. I mean, even that loud-mouthed, bag of wind, Nagamitsu, knew of Jin's reputation way back at the beginning of their journey. And his kimono with his family mon was destroyed beyond repair. Perhaps, she could make him look more like a regular wandering ronin?

Mugen would be a little tougher to disguise. She knew he was proud of the fear that his felon tattoos struck in the hearts of men, women and children. It was as much of his persona as Jin's glasses had been. There was no way Mugen would hide his tattoos. But, his clothing was also not likely to change. Sure, the red over shirt had been destroyed and used for bandages, but she had never seen him wearing traditional hakamas as most Japanese men wore. Mugen wore what was comfortable, and allowed him to move in his chaotic, energetic form of martial arts. The most she could hope for is that the addition of the three cuts on his cheek, officials would not think he was Mugen.

How would she hide? It would not be difficult to change clothes, hairstyles and adopt a new name. She did not have any striking feature that would distinguish her from any other young girl in Japan. Of all of them, she could blend into the background the easiest.

But, what about Jin's and Mugen's swords? Jin had said a sword was a warrior's soul. Now he no longer had his Daisho. He was left with only the Wazakashi, and a samurai could not survive with only the shorter blade. Did that mean Jin had lost his soul? Or sacrificed his soul? He had used his soul to save her, and lost his soul in his battle to beat Mugen. She still wasn't quite sure what the meaning had been behind that strange duel on the beach. She had her eyes closed, so had no clue what had happened to break both swords like that. But, come of think of it, she had never seen a sword break like that.

Not only was Jin without a sword, but Mugen's pride and joy was gone. Where Jin's swords might have been his soul, Mugen's sword was his life. He was definitely the embodiment of that adage that one lives and dies by the sword. It was how he defended himself, and procured money and food. He would die without a sword.

So, the second order of business, right after finding out if there were anymore assassins to worry about, was to find her guys new swords. She knew they would need them, and no longer even thought about them not waking up. If one of these two died, the other would probably die along with them just out of spite, or to see which could get to the afterlife faster.

The old man returned with a wagon containing a sloshing tub of steaming water. He stopped at the front door and pondered how he would move it into the shed. Finally, he simply slid it off the back of the wagon and dragged it just inside the door frame. She would not be able to close the door, but at least she would have privacy on three sides. That was better than bathing out in the open.

The basin was slightly larger than a wok, but she should be able to stand in it, and even sit in the shallow water with her legs folded up before her. She would wet herself, soap up, and then use the second pan to pour water down her body to rinse off. Then, when her body was clean, she would lean over the side to wash her hair which felt as if half the beach was trapped in her tresses.

"Lady Fuu, is there anything I can do for you while you are bathing?" Fuu looked again at the little old man as if she did not understand his words. She whispered, "Not look?" and the old man chuckled. "While you bathe, I will bring what supplies are available from your Father's home. When you are finished, I will see to your wounds." And with that, the old man ambled off with the wagon up the hill back to the scene of her Father's murder.

Fuu shuddered thinking about using anything that had been her Father's. She didn't want anything from him. All she had ever wanted was to have a Father growing up that would provide for her and her Mother, and protect them from the harsh life they had lived. But, Fuu had never known her Father was even still alive until she was fourteen years old. She was practically an adult. The little girl who longed for her Father was gone. Life had been hard on her and her Mother. Her life had been more like Shinsuke's, that boy who had stolen their money to provide medicine for his Mom.

Fuu stood up slowly, and began undressing as she moved towards the promise of cleanliness. Her thoughts of her Mother continued. She saw how sweet life had been until she was five, and her Father had left. Her Mother had been sweet and cultured. The perfect wife of a noble samurai. Her Father had doted on her and carried her on his broad shoulders. Their only crime had been to believe in Christianity. Because of this persecution, her father had left. But little Fuu didn't know that. All she knew was the man walked away from her one day and never returned. Fuu thought it was her fault. She had done something to drive him away. Had she not been obedient enough? Had she not studied her lessons hard enough? Had she been too noisy when her parents were entertaining guests?

But as with all broken families, Fuu's Mother had to struggle to provide for them. Fuu was left alone a great deal of time, and when her Mother was home, she was too tired to play much. As Fuu got older and times became tougher, Fuu's guilt over driving her Father away turned into anger. The little girl rebelled against all the rules that had stifled her, and turned into a tomboy and began running with a gang. Most of the boys in the gang were not even aware that she was a girl due to the masculine clothes she wore. As a girl around numerous and sometimes unsavory males, it was better to be considered one of the boys. She learned to swear, steal, plan heists, and gamble. She developed quite a skill at dice rolling, which finally earned her some living money to care for her Mother. Her Mother was horrified at what her daughter was doing to earn money, but by then she had fallen so far into depression that she became ill.

Fuu became desperate for her Mother to heal, and even went so far to please the woman as to allow her Mother to dress her in women's clothes, and try to teach her some manners. Her Mother laughed at the task but enjoyed playing dress up with her daughter. Fuu even found a "respectable" job working as a waitress; although, it paid nowhere near as much as rolling dice. Still, it was to make her Mother happy so Fuu worked hard to learn all she could, and develop grace and poise. As Mugen and Jin could attest, the lessons in grace and poise were wasted. She was as awkward as a newborn colt trying out its new legs.

It was during this "learning to be a lady" period that her Mother finally told her that her Father was not dead. It had been in a lucid moment in the middle of a fevered delirium that this little fact was revealed. And Fuu was angry at the man all over again. How could someone leave behind such a sweet and timid woman as her Mother and still call himself a man? Where was the honor in that? Where was the duty and loyalty that she had studied? Where was that prized Bushido code?

Her Mother must have suspected that death was near when she revealed that secret, because, she was dead two days later. The only thing Fuu had left of her Mothers was the little pink lacquer ware Tanto with it's strange skull charm, and the pink flowery kimono that her Mother had purchased to help Fuu in her lady training.

So, now that Kasumi Seizou was no longer among the living, Fuu really didn't want anything else from this man. He had not provided for her Mother and her during life. Why should he be allowed to provide for her after life?

Fuu stood in the wash basis, and scooped water up to allow it to cascade over her sore body. It didn't matter how small the tub was, she needed to sit down, or she was going to fall down. As she lowered herself into the tub, the cuts that came into contact with the hot water stung like fire. A gasp of pain escaped her as her womanly parts submerged into the water and alerted her to multiple injuries there. Tears flowed down her face as she tried not to remember the abuse she received at the hands of that crazy one eyed man with the chain and sickle before Mugen saved her.

She scrubbed long and hard with the rough cloth and plain soap before she deemed herself clean and stood up to rinse. She slid on her Yukata and proceeded to wash and rinse her hair. She looked at her bindings and her kimono and realized she would have to request additional water to wash their remaining clothes in. Her kimono was too precious to replace just yet.

She heard the kind, squeaky voice of the old retainer asking if she was decent. It was time to have her injuries addressed. To protect her modesty, what little was left of it, she carefully wrapped her kimono around her waist under her Yukata. That way, she could lift up the white yukata, and only expose the skin below her breasts and above her waist. This was the only area of visible injury. The cuts and bruises on her lower body were not in areas that could be bandaged effectively. Her bindings would have to take care of the problem.

The old retainer was very gentle but firm when binding her bruised ribs. He did not seem to think any were broken, but she didn't care what he said. She knew how they felt, and they felt broken to her. He applied a stinky salve to her bruises on her stomach and ribs, then proceeded to wind the bandages from below her breasts to her waist. Once she later dressed in her own under bindings, she would look like an invalid! Why even bother wearing clothes since she would already be covered in wrappings from neck to knees?

After he finished his inspection of her non-private parts for further injuries, he turned to carry out the dirty bath water. Fuu bowed from her sitting position against the back wall of the shed and said, "Thank you, Kato-san. You have been very kind to help me." The old man laughed with a wheeze as he tossed the water onto the grass beside the path. "Oh, no, Lady Fuu, you are the beloved daughter of my Lord Seizou. There is nothing that I wouldn't do to aid you and your companions." He leaned the tub against the outside of the hut to drip dry, and turned to look at the injured men on the floor. His first priority had been to see to his master's daughter, now he could see to her friends.

A quick inspection of the bodies on the floor showed that she had done a fairly good job at field dressing the massive wounds of her friends. A few truly needed to be stitched, but that could wait until he had more supplies to clean and redress the wounds. Only time and willpower would determine if these warriors would survive.

Through with inspecting wounds, the old retainer began carrying in miscellaneous items that he had salvaged from his master's house for Fuu's use. He had a few blankets, some cooking pots, some jars of rice, a small bin of vegetables and a flint stone. He would be forced to cook outdoors since the shed was just that, a shed. There was no fireplace or vent in the roof for a fire pit.

While the old man worked, Fuu crawled forward to fuss over Jin and Mugen. She carefully carded her fingers through Jin's luxurious black hair that was no longer bound in his leather tie. Her mind replayed the picture of Jin walking up behind the assassin with that hair blowing in the wind like a God. Paintings could never capture the beauty of that moment and the joy she felt in her heart that he had come to save her. She smoothed out the tangles and brushed the loose tendrils away from his sweaty brow. On impulse, she leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on his forehead.

Then she reached over to Mugen. His wild hair was almost impossible to run her fingers through, but she kept at it until she could. His curls were adorable close up, and she separated out a hunk of hair and curled it around her finger in thought. Mugen had come to save her too. Stepping into that clearing in the dilapidated church wall and freeing her from the beating she was receiving. He did care, even though she had told the one-eyed man that he didn't. The scruffy pirate also received a chaste kiss on the forehead.

Tears spilled down Fuu's cheeks as she sat between her saviors/friends/brothers/bodyguards. They had grown to mean so much to her. They were the only family she had left. How had things turned out so wrong? She had left them behind to tour the island in hopes of saving them from their "final" fight. There was no doubt in her mind, that if the two swordsmen fought, with no promise to bind them from killing each other, then one or both would surely die. She couldn't stand that. That thought was all that had been on her mind for weeks. How to get them to not fight. She had tried everything, even trying to get them to talk and realize how much the three of them had in common. They could all be friends. She had been sure that having a common enemy and goal would bring the two warring samurai together as comrades, but she was wrong.

The night at the river, Jin had approached her as she was trying her best to find a solution to the final fight at the end of the quest. Somehow, Jin always seemed to know what she was thinking. It probably had to do with knowing human nature and strategy. I mean, come on, how many people can plan out their shougi moves without even looking at the board. Dear Jin had tried to make her think about what she was going to do after she had met her Father. I mean, how could she think past the fight. One of her friends was going to die. What did it matter if she was captured or went back to waiting tables.

But, Jin was the type, he probably had the next five years planned out, and that's why Mugen drove him so crazy. Mugen could throw a wrench in any well thought out plan. Jin had even offered something to do with the fight when they were talking at the river. If Jin had held back, or refused to fight, she knew Mugen would have killed him. Mugen himself admitted that he couldn't hold back when fighting.

She could never have imagined this conclusion to their journey. Both guys nearly dying, her Father dying, and assassins popping out of the woodwork. She had to think of some way out of this. What were they going to do for the future? How could they pursue their lives and not be hunted all the time?

First things first though. Before she figures out their future, she needs to get them healthy. She called to the retainer "Kato-san, we need to change these bandages. Can you find more fabric? Then after that, I need you to do something for me."

It was almost lunchtime when she and Kato had finished cleaning Jin's and Mugen's wounds, and Fuu had sewn up the worst injuries. She was getting really worried about the amount of blood both were losing. She was sure, that when they were healed, both guys were going to compete to determine who had the worse injuries; a gun shot wound or a sword straight through the gut. Either way, it was going to be a while before either man could swing a sword without hurting like crazy. She remembered the injuries inflicted by Sara and how it had taken weeks for both fighters to be able to spar without cursing from the pain. Though, Mugen was a lot louder about complaining. Jin seemed to just take it in stride and work out anyways. Both men looked very pale and she was a bit frightened when Mugen's lips looked a little blue, but there was nothing she could do about the blood loss, except to keep it small enough that their bodies could replenish.

Kato-san stood slowly, letting his old, achy joints straighten out. "Miss Fuu, you seem to also have experience with tending sword wounds. Have you been traveling with these _men_ for very long? Your Father would be so sad to see you traveling with such as these." Fuu could hear the censure in the older man's voice stating clearly that he did not approve of a daughter of his master the great samurai cavorting through the countryside with a ronin and a criminal. Fuu rounded angrily on the little man and pointed a finger in his face, "Look, I chose these two to protect me on this journey. They didn't have to come. They have kept me alive when the Shogun's assassins were trying to stop me. These two men that you think are beneath me have risked their lives to rescue me, and I would do the same for them. They are practically family and I won't have you talking bad about them. They are honorable and kind, and they are my friends." She ran out of steam since the energy it took to fume had exhausted her, and the yelling was hard on her bruised ribs.

She looked at the bowing retainer who was apologizing profusely and she sighed. "Kato-san please forgive me. We have been through a lot and I've very worried for my friends." She hung her head for a moment then remembered the mission she wanted to send the old man on. "Oh, I need to know if you can get someone to help build some graves. We need to bury that assassin on the cliff with his swords as a marker, and I want you to make three more fake graves along side his. I want to use Jin's and Mugen's broken swords as grave markers so if any of the Shogun's men come they will think we are all dead. I don't know what we can use to mark my grave. The only possessions I have are my tanto and my kimono. I kinda need both of them. Maybe we could just make a wooden marker with my name on it? Hopefully, it will look like the assassin killed me and Mugen, then he and Jin killed each other. That should stop them from looking for us any farther." She slipped back against the back wall and got comfortable to watch over her friends. "The swords are on the beach just down the path from here. I left them when I hauled the guys up here. Somehow I need to find new swords for them…." And her voice drifted off into nothingness while she brought her hand up to rub her temples.

"Excuse me Lady Fuu, I can bring some tea to help with your headache and some soup for you and your friends before I get started on your grave." She looked up at the kindly old retainer and smiled. She didn't know how she was going to eat anything. The pounding her poor stomach took the day before had left her with a terrible ache in her middle. It felt like if she tried to eat anything, it would be making a reappearance quite quickly. But, she could try to feed the guys. None of them had eaten anything since the Castella cakes yesterday morning. The little man scurried out of the shed and disappeared in the direction of the little village. Fuu's eyes blurred and her lids became heavy, and it was only a few breaths later that she was asleep sitting against the wall, watching over her boys.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Afternoon of Day 1 after Death

The smell of soup brought her mostly back to wakefulness. The old retainer had returned with a small cook pot with soup, some crock ware and tea. Her bleary eyes watered at being opened when all she wanted to do was sleep for a week. But, her sense of duty called, and she knew she needed to get some soup into Mugen and Jin.

"Ah, Kato-san, I would love some tea before we try to feed the soup to the guys. I'm sure they would complain about their hunger if they were awake." And she smiled lovingly at the sleeping men. The tea was soothing and helped ease her pain a bit. He had found some medicinal tea.

The little old man was instrumental in holding up Jin's and Mugen's heads respectively as she carefully spooned the broth into their mouths. Fuu was finding it rather difficult to remain sitting as the pain in her stomach seemed to grow more annoying. The use of her stomach muscles couldn't be helped, but it still hurt.

After feeding her two 'babies' she and the retainer changed their bandages and applied an herbal poultice over the wounds to reduce the swelling and chance of infection. Thankfully, Mugen's lips no longer looked as blue, but his hands were still ice cold from the blood loss. Jin was in a little better shape, but he was also cold to the touch.

Touching their cold bodies reminded her of facing her mother's corpse. It was forbidden to remove the cloth from the face of a deceased loved one, but she did anyways. When had rules ever applied to her? She had to see the face of her mother to realize that she was truly gone. Her face was still beautiful, despite the ravages of her illness. Yet, she was so pale. And Fuu's hands moved on their own accord to reach out and touch the face of the only family that acknowledged and loved her. She didn't expect the skin to be so hard. It was like touching a piece of stone. There was none of the usual softness and warmth. Her mind could not accept what her eyes and hands were telling her, so she just sat back and stared for a while. In that moment her entire life had changed. She was alone.

Fuu shook herself from the awful place her mind had taken her. All her life, she had felt out of place and alone. When her mother passed on to the next life, she had thought that she would always be alone and unable to allow anyone else into her life. Yet, fate had dropped these two right into her lap and they had wormed their way into her heart.

She wrapped the two men in as much cover as she could muster from the shelves of belongings that Kato had retrieved from her father's hut. Every spare article of male clothing along with all spare blankets were heaped on her loved ones. She looked around a moment and decided that when the sun reached the angle in the sky where it streamed across the shed floor, she would drag them to lie in the sun and soak up as much warmth as possible.

She had seen boys in her gang suffer such grievous wounds and knew that lowering of the body temperature was a dangerous side effect of massive blood loss. With a loving caress to each of their faces, Fuu dragged her own self over towards the door to sit in the tiny square of sunlight that streamed in. Gingerly, she prodded at her own stomach to assess the damage to her internal organs from the numerous blows she had received to her abdomen while in the clutches of that evil man with the eye patch.

She was no stranger to getting the crap kicked out of her. After all, she had been disguised as a boy for most of her life, and a short, scrawny one at that. She had faced her fair share of bullying and abuse until she ingratiated herself to two of the bigger boys with her sharp wit and clever solutions to problems. Shinto and Kai had taken a liking to her and chased off the bullies. It was how she had been inducted into the gang. A smile graced her face as she remembered how awkward and clumsy she had been, and how the bigger boys took her under their wings. Where they had set ways of doing things in the gang, she had come up with better alternatives that earned them more money and respect. Of course, only Shinto and Kai knew where the ideas came from. Fuu was in no way interested in receiving credit for the plans. She had no aspirations for leadership or conquest. She just wanted a place to belong. And as the child of an absent, disgraced, presumed-dead, samurai, there were not a lot of options.

She knew what to expect from her injuries. If her ribs were truly not broken, then she would suffer from pain and bruising for a week or two, then it would diminish. As for her stomach, she expected bruising, swelling and pain. If her injuries were bad enough, she knew that she would have difficulty keeping anything down, and might be bleeding inside. She had seen other boys beaten worse than her who suffered with weakness and fainting. One she had even watched over who eventually died. Seems that if you get hit hard enough in the gut that it can damage internal organs. She shuddered, what a horrible way to die.

Shaking her morbid thoughts, she closed her eyes and rest her head back against the wall to relax her aching muscles. The warmth of the sunlight soaked into her body making her sleepy. With Kato temporarily out of the area, she felt there was nothing wrong with sliding down the wall and taking a nap in this sunbeam. She could technically guard the doorway from intruders and get some rest at the same time. It reminded her of a stray cat she had adopted as a small child. Always sleeping in the sunshine.

She wasn't sure if she actually drifted off to sleep. She felt truly relaxed and her mind drifted away from the pain and worry of the current situation and revisited happy memories. There were a few from childhood, when her father was still around. Some memories surfaced from her time with the gang. The short time after she staged her own death for the gang, and indulged her mother in "playing dress-up with Fuu" replayed in her thoughts. Then there was the fun of arguing with Mugen and trying to read Jin's mind.

The two men had taken up a great deal of her thoughts over their journey. She had at first thought Mugen was like Shinto and Kai when he walked into the tea house. He would have fit right into their gang if he had been around seven years earlier. Maybe that was why she jumped at the chance to have him help her. She had been sitting around, waiting for the opportune moment to get out of town without alerting her pursuers. Then, fate dropped Jin in her lap also. What a stroke of good fortune. It had never occurred to her to ask them both to help her find her father, until she had seen them both so beaten in the holding cell, waiting for their execution at the hands of that corrupted official.

Fuu had never been the kind of girl (or boy while in the gang) that could walk past an injured animal and not help. Neither could she stomach injustice. These men had not started the fire, and they had not taken the life of the Governor's son. They did not deserve to die, and they did not deserve to be tortured. Yet, they were strong enough in heart and mind that they had not broken. When she saw them lying on the ground in that cell, she had the thought that they had probably not even hollered out during the worst of the pain. She respected that strength. She respected their independence.

She had always thought of herself as honorable, but she was not above doing slightly dishonest things for a good cause. She never thought twice about using her double-sided coin for the coin toss. She knew she had to keep them from killing each other. There were too few men willing to die for their principles left in this twisted world, and she would not stand by and watch one die for the sake of a grudge. Besides, she had broken them out of jail. The guards had seen her face. She didn't know if they recognized her as the boy that had terrorized them two years before, but they would be able to identify her if the shogun's men questioned them. She had to get out of town. And she knew her best way to survive was to somehow make these two warriors indebted to her.

She cracked an eye open and looked at the battered bodies of her friends as she thought more. She never could really think of them as samurai. I mean, Mugen was as far from the image she had of her father as a little child as was possible to get. In her mind, a samurai was tall, broad, silent, distant and god-like. Samurai followed their master's orders without hesitation or thought. Her father had been placed on an impossible pedestal in her childish mind that no ordinary man could live up to. It wasn't until she hit about nine years old that her adoration turned to anger. Other kids' fathers were still around. Some of her gang friends were fatherless like she was, but their fathers had died in wars. Hers had just left.

She thought of Mugen and Jin as warriors more than samurai. Even Jin, with his code of honor, had been so emotionally injured that he still carried a strong feeling of vulnerability and sadness that she could empathize with. Maybe it was this anger and sadness of being abandoned and outsiders that had united the three travelers. She and her warriors.

Yet, in their travels, they had changed. Each of them. Mugen had become a bit more thoughtful and less impulsive. She had actually witnessed Mugen taking cues from Jin when it came time to jump into a fight. Let's face it; even Mugen could see that Jin was a master strategist. Jin had opened up and become more caring. He no longer distanced himself from people in expectation that they would betray his trust. Shino showed his depth of emotions just in what he had been willing to do to save her.

Fuu's smile faded at the thought of that woman taking away her Jin. Yes, she knew she should not be possessive, but that was just the way she was. She had lost so many things in her short life that she held onto her loved ones with the fierceness of a fighting dog. How many nights had she laid awake pondering the depths of Jin's feelings for Miss Shino. Did he love her? Did he just feel pity for her? Did he feel responsible that he stopped her from killing herself, so he felt guilty for her suffering in the brothel? Did he just see an honorable woman trapped into a horrible situation she could not escape from? Did he see her as a kindred spirit? No matter what, Fuu did not like her. Shino was at the bottom of Fuu's list of favorite people, only outranked by people like Sara and the other assassins and Kohza.

Her brows really drew together as she thought of Sara's betrayal. How could the woman travel with them, eat and sleep with them, pretend to be a friend to them, then try to kill one of them to stop their quest. Fuu had never felt such a pain as she did the night she threw herself atop Mugen's bleeding body to stop Sara from killing him. Not only had she realized that Sara would kill Mugen, but had probably already killed Jin. The betrayal cut into her worse than Sara could ever have injured her with that strange spear.

That was another thing the three travelers had in common. Not only were they each alone in the world, but they had all been betrayed in the most horrible ways by supposed friends. She knew no life was perfect, but it seemed that between the three of them, they had suffered more than most. But, being who she was, Fuu couldn't fixate on the negative. If they had not been hurt so, then they would not have met and become friends. For, they were that at least. Sara had not succeeded in killing them. Mukuro had not succeeded in killing them. This latest batch of assassins had not succeeded in killing them. The Shogun had not succeeded in killing them. Maybe there was something special about the three of them together that was stronger than any of them apart.

But, she knew, that after this episode that they would have to part. It was inevitable. For one thing, they were just too visible and memorable traveling together. One girl with two strikingly different men was note worthy. Even if they toned down their appearance like she had imagined, the one girl, two guys thing was scandalous enough to draw attention. It was obvious that the two men were not related to her. None of them favored in a familial sort of way. And then there was the whole pirate and ronin thing. Not a pair that one would expect to see strolling through the market place.

The other reason they would have to part, was there was no longer a quest. The guys had fulfilled their part of the bargain. There was no longer a debt of honor to uphold. Their journey was complete. She felt a bit deflated at this notion, not knowing what she was supposed to do now. She was reminded of the frighteningly insightful comments Sara had made as they prepared for sleep that one night. Asking her if she wanted this journey to last forever. Her whole life had centered on this goal, and now that she had achieved it, there was nothing beyond it. She had no idea what to do now. Should she just go back to where she started? Should she stay here? Should she set out on another new adventure? She snorted at this point. As much as she loved traveling with Mugen and Jin, she did not really see herself as the "lone traveler" type of girl. I mean, come on… how many times had she been kidnapped on this little trip? If she set out on her own, she was sure to end up in a brothel or as a sex-slave or something equally horrible.

So, what exactly was she to do now? She truly wished there was some way for the three of them to stay together. It was comfortable. She didn't want to face the unknown alone. Besides, she and Mugen still needed to corrupt Jin more. And she and Jin needed to civilize Mugen more. She half wondered what Jin and Mugen were teaching her. Courage? Risk taking? Strategy? Dependence?

Trying to foresee the future always caused Fuu's stomach and head to hurt. Now that she already had pain in both these areas, she wisely decided to stop this line of thought and save it for another day when she felt better. For the immediate future, she needed to heal, and needed Mugen and Jin to heal as well. Possibly Jin could shed some light on what she should do now. With having found her father, and him dying at the hands of the assassin, she was truly more like the two warriors than she had been before. She had a goal before, when they had none. She had a living relative before, when they had none. Maybe she would adopt their ways of life instead of returning to her previous one. I mean, how bored would she get working at a tea house for the rest of her life when she had experienced such amazing adventures. As it was now, she could barely stand working at one of those boring jobs long enough for them to earn enough money for food, lodging and traveling. How much worse would it be if it was for the rest of her life.

Then again, there was always the option of finding a man and getting married. The only problem was that she had lost any hope of a good marriage when her father's name was disgraced. The best she could hope for in a match would be some poor farmer's son, and she just couldn't see herself living that kind of live either.

A thought struck her like a ray of sunshine. What about going back and asking that ex-sensei monk? He had seemed so wise in the ways of the world and Buddha. Surely he could help her make sense of the rest of her life. If not, at least, it would be a goal. She could carefully backtrack the way they had come, so it wouldn't be uncharted territory. And she wouldn't have to cross any dangerous checkpoints. Also, the monk was a skilled ex warrior. Maybe he could help her if the Shogun's assassins somehow found her. She might even be able to wear her old disguise of boys clothes and get some training? The possibilities were endless.

So with the thought of waiting to plan the rest of her life until she could get Jin's and the monk's advice, Fuu relaxed and drifted off into a pleasant nap in the sunshine.

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

Reviews are welcome and would be helpful


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Shuffling noises outside the shed woke Fuu from her pleasant nap in the sunbeam. She didn't bolt up in fright as she would normally have done. The pain of her stomach and head reminded her all too quickly of the situation. Instead, she lay there, listening to the nearing footfalls and tried to recognize the pattern. She signed when she realized it was Kato, her father's…. now her, retainer. 'Hm, if he's my retainer, do I have to pay him?'

Sweat had beaded on her upper lip from her body warming in the sunshine. She knew she would have to move away or end up sunburned. The last thing she needed was more pain. To preserve her dignity, she shifted uncomfortably into a sitting position before the old man appeared.

He smiled like he was overjoyed to see her awake when he rounded the bend in the path and could see her. Fuu casually lifted a hand to wave in greeting and noticed the old man carried another box of supplies. Just the thought of food made her stomach issue a quiet growl. Maybe she would try to eat something.

The sun had shifted in the sky so that there was plenty of light on the floor for her sleeping friends to share. The guys would be warm if she had to drag them over there herself and light them on fire! Rising awkwardly to protect her injuries, Fuu motioned to her friends as the retainer entered the hut, "Kato-san, I need your help to move Mugen and Jin into the sunlight. They need to be warm to heal properly and I just can't drag them another inch."

The old man chuckled as he nodded his head in agreement and moved to grasp Mugen. He mentioned, "You can eat a bit while I take care of this for you, Lady Fuu. I brought some rice and stew in case you needed something more substantial than the soup from earlier."

Fuu carefully sat beside the box and withdrew a small bowl of broth as she kept a close eye on the old man so he did not aggravate her friends' injuries. Seemed this old guy was pretty good at caring for critically injured warriors. Once Mugen and Jin were gently placed so they could soak up the sun's warmth, she relaxed enough to sip at the soup. It felt good going down, but then her stomach started acting up and she knew it wasn't going to stay. Not one to waste food, she placed the bowl back into the box and carefully lifted herself to try and walk around the guys in the doorway.

The retainer looked up at her with concern on his face, "Lady Fuu?" He noticed her sweaty, pale face and how she had one hand over her mouth and another over her stomach and quickly surmised what her problem was. He jumped up with a speed that belied his bent, aged body and took hold of her arm and gently lead her outside to the side of the shed. She hated to have anyone see her get sick, but she didn't have the strength to shake this little man off. He was actually helpful as her stomach heaved and her legs buckled. He helped to keep her from falling gracelessly as her body seized up.

A few minutes later, her stomach was thankfully empty and quiet. Her body slumped into a boneless heap kept up only by the old man's hands. Through tears, she noticed a trace of blood on the ground along with the contents of her stomach. Cooing sounds issued from the retainer as he practically carried her limp body back into the hut.

As much as she wanted to be the one caring for Mugen and Jin, Fuu found herself confined to a pallet at the back of the shed for the rest of the day. It was easier to comply with the old man's demands for her to rest than it was to argue with him. She just didn't have the energy or the breath to argue. But she did watch his every movement where it concerned her guys. She did have enough breath to issue commands as to their care and comfort.

As the sun was lowering in the sky, Kato had moved the guys back to their original positions in front of Fuu. It eased her worries to be within touching distance. She traced a hand down each manly face and was pleased to find the skin beneath her fingers to not be cold. They felt normally warm and alive. She silently closed her eyes and said a few words of thanks.

Fuu turned to the retainer who was arranging new supplies on the shelf beside the door. "Kato-san, do you think you could find some medicinal tea that would aid in their healing? I bought some in Edo, but we have used it up in our journey." The soothing tea from earlier had been nice, but she knew it didn't have anything in it to boost their healing. That kind of tea tasted worse than burned dirt. The old man smiled kindly and scurried out of the hut in search of the healing tea. Surely, someone in the small village had such a thing.

Left alone in the hut with her thoughts and her unconscious friends, Fuu let sleep claim her again. She knew she would only sleep off and on, as it was her job to watch over the boys. But she could fight it off no longer.

In her light sleep, the dreams became twisted with reality. She could hear the noises of the room and the world outside, but she couldn't wake herself up. She desperately tried to call out to the retainer or to Mugen or Jin but found her body was immobile. There was no way she could pry her eyes open. It was very unpleasant, and she became a bit fearful. Not only that, but she could still feel every ache and pain in her exhausted body.

She thought she heard a noise inside the tiny room, but that couldn't be possible. Mugen and Jin were unconscious. What if another assassin had slipped up on them? NO! Her dream contorted to show her the room with a mysterious dark shadow creeping in from the sun-drenched doorway. She couldn't tell if it were a man or woman. Was it another like Sara and this last assassin? Or could it be someone from their past? Like that Yukimaru kid and those sick brothers from the other day? How many more people were going to come after them? Would it ever end? Would they ever find a place to live in peace?

The shadow moved to completely cover Jin's body where she could not see what was happening. Strange swishing sounds reached her straining hearing. Then it moved away. Jin lay in a puddle of blood with his eyes open, staring soullessly at her. NO! Horror colored her face a sickly pale as the shadow turned to move over to Mugen. It inched closer to his motionless form and she wanted to gag. She still couldn't move. She wanted to throw herself at this evil apparition and make it stop. Death couldn't have them! She had fought so hard to get them somewhere safe! But as she struggled, the shadow covered her pirate, leaving him in the same state as Jin. Lifeless eyes staring at her from a puddle of blood.

Then the shadow seemed to turn and face her. It was impossible to tell since there was no face or shape to indicate where the front was. But she knew. It was so cold when it turned to face her. She had seen death many times over the years, but nothing like this. This wasn't even a person she could fight against. No amount of bargaining and pleading was going to stop this figure. It was unrelenting like the tide. As the shadow approached, she could see shapes forming in the swirling black mass. Faces formed of all those that had tried to kill them. Just as she began to recognize some of them, the blackness was upon her. The sensation was the same as when she had been drowning in the river after she fell from the cliff. Her breath was gone, and her own heartbeat pounded like a drum in her ears. All around her were ghostly warriors standing watch. Among them were Jin and Mugen, looking somber and lonely. 'This is what Mugen described when he almost died from drowning. Is this the afterlife? Then where is Father? Shouldn't he be among the warriors of the dead?' She struggled and pitched and screamed at the ghosts as hands reached out for her.

When a hand grasped her shoulder in a painful grip, her eyes flashed open and she shrieked for all she was worth. The little old retainer who was trying to wake her fell over on his butt in shock as she screamed in his face. "Oh, Lady Fuu. I'm terribly sorry for frightening you. I only meant to wake you. You seemed to be having a terrible dream." Fuu's eyes darted around the darkening hut to see if any of the shadows were moving. Her eyes fell on the sleeping forms of Mugen and Jin. 'No blood. Oh thank goodness.' She slumped over a bit as her relief washed over her in waves, taking her energy with it.

Kato pulled himself up off the floor and brushed off his rump as he kept apologizing. It took a minute to realize that it had gotten dark enough that the man had returned with lamps as well as the medicine. She only heard parts of his rambling explanation about a visiting doctor who brought herbal remedies to the island once a season. Her head was hurting worse, and every ache in her body seemed amplified by her previous terror. She mumbled to the old man, "Place lamps everywhere. I don't want to see any shadows." The old man looked at her oddly, but complied.

A distant rumble of thunder stirred her troubled mind to notice the old man shuffling around, checking on Mugen and Jin, and feeding them the tea. The room was unusually bright with all the lamps, and only dim shadows were seen dancing across the wall behind the retainer. After all, he was the only one up and moving.

Slowly, drops of rain hit against the wooden roof of the shed. Had the builders made the structure waterproof? They would find out soon enough. The gentle pattering of the raindrops on the roof calmed her fright and she found she could think a bit clearer. It was silly to watch each shadow for the creature from her dream. Although, it did make her aware that they needed to move from this place as soon as the guys were able to walk. Maybe they could go back to the river they had camped at the night before they left for this island? Or they could possibly hide among the throngs of people in Nagasaki. The only problem with that was the need for money to pay for lodgings and food while they regain their strength.

She watched the little old man move about, placing bowls under the leaks from the roof. Who needed a shed to be waterproof, anyways? At least there would be no shortage of drinking and bathing water. She finally broke the silence, "Kato-san, do you know of any places on the mainland where we might recuperate without being found? It can't cost very much because we've used up all the funds that we earned in the last town. And I don't think I'm in any shape to be working at a teahouse to earn more."

The retainer jumped a bit, showing that he had thought his lady was asleep. Then he turned a thoughtful face to her and pondered her question. "Well, there is a small fishing village near Nagayo. It is only a short walk from here, and I have some friends there that supported your father. They owe your father a debt of honor, and would be proud to house you while your friends recover." He smiled gently at her. "But, Lady Fuu, you should not concern yourself with money. Your great father left enough inheritance to provide for your comfort for the remainder of your life. Not to mention the estate where you and your Mother lived is now yours alone."

The shock of someone telling her she not only had money but land rendered her incapable of listening to any of the other stories the old retainer told. Her pained mind tried to grasp the concept. She had been little more than a vagabond for years now. There was no way her luck could change that drastically. A quiet, derisive snort escaped her lips and stopped the old man's ranting. She explained, "There is no way I'll ever be able to return to or claim those lands where I lived with Mother. The shogun's assassins already chased me from my home almost two years ago. I would be killed if I even stepped foot in that town. Even if I hired someone to dispose of the property for me, it would only be putting another person in danger. I have no doubt the Shogun would torture my agent to death to learn my whereabouts. The Government has sent some of their highest level assassins after me. I doubt torture would bother them at all."

The old retainer sat in front of her and bowed to her in apology. "I'm sorry to hear that Lady Fuu. Your Father so wanted you taken care of." Suddenly, the roof sprung another leak, dripping right on the back of the old man's bowed head. Fuu covered her mouth and giggled quietly. Another bowl was procured from the pile in the corner and set up to catch a bit more water.

The conversation shifted to Kato asking questions about the journey that brought Fuu and these two men to Ikutsuki island. It was well into the night and Fuu was still talking about their adventures. Had it really been almost half a year since they had met in the tea house? It would have gone faster if she had been able to travel straight through. But having to work for money and the delays from the rainy season had set them back a few months. Kato was shocked that in all the months of traveling, she had only thought of quitting once, when Sara had supposedly killed Jin and had almost killed Mugen.

Kato took pity on Fuu when he realized how tired she was after another grueling day. She had been able to keep nothing down other than a bit of tea from earlier. Even though she had napped on and off, he knew she needed rest as much as the two men. Her body showed the signs of having been brutally beaten recently. The old retainer sadly shook his head. He would never understand how someone could harm a woman, especially a lady. "Lady Fuu, you should get some sleep. I will remain by the door in the event that you or your friends might need me."

Fuu smiled at Kato-san. It would be nice to have someone else keep guard over them for the night. She no longer feared waking to find Mugen and Jin cold and lifeless. She knew that the first day after such an injury was crucial, and they had survived. Now, she would have to keep an eye out for any signs that their wounds were getting infected.

With quiet thanks and good night, Fuu curled up into her blanket to fend off the creeping cold. With the approach of the storm, the pleasant temperature in the shed had dropped drastically. Kato-san had already closed the door and rolled up a mat to shove under the gaping crack under the door. Hopefully, tomorrow, he could find a small fire box that they could use indoors, or provide some heated stones to snuggle against.

The droning of the rain was lulling her to sleep. Before she drifted off completely, she had to remind the retainer, "Make sure Mugen and Jin are warm. I don't want them getting sick from the cold." Then she was wrapped into a gentle and dreamless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Morning came too early for the bruised and exhausted girl. Fuu barely could open her eyes and they felt gritty and sore. Before she even attempted to move or stretch, she turned her head slightly to check on the guys. Neither Mugen nor Jin had moved voluntarily since they clashed swords on the beach two days before. It worried her a bit. She had seen how they recovered from their separate clashes with Sara and both had been awake within two days.

Still, this damage was much worse, and both men had bled considerably more before Fuu could stop and tend them. She had no idea quite how much blood a grown man could lose before dying, but she had seen how much it took to kill a boy from their gang. Thankfully, neither man's bandages indicated any additional bleeding. Not only that, but both now had a tiny bit more color in their faces. Lips were no longer a sickly, cold, bluish color. She said a tiny prayer of thanks for their healing, and prayed again for guidance and strength.

She gently prodded at her own injuries and found that her ribs were still sore, but her stomach was feeling a bit better. The bruising would not fade for several days, even weeks. She knew her body healed slower than most. It was something she had inherited from her Mom. Cuts took longer to vanish, and bruises seemed to stay ugly purple masses forever. Still, considering the abuse she had endured, some discoloration was acceptable. At least she was still alive. And she had these two men to thank; so many times over.

Over by the door of the shed, she heard scuffling and realized that the old man had risen long before she had reentered the land of the living. The sagging door was propped open, and the unsettled sky could be seen out the opening. The storm from the night before had left behind thick, humid air and gray boiling clouds. There would be no sunning in the doorway today unless the clouds burned off later. The little bowls that had been scattered about had been gathered and emptied into a large tub in the corner. If it rained any more, they would have a nice amount of water. Maybe even enough for a bath?

Fuu's mind didn't want to start worrying about what needed to be done today. More than anything, she wanted to just snuggle back into her covers and sleep until the guys woke up. But what kind of friend would she be if she did that? It was bad enough that she had dragged them all across Japan. The least she could do was see to their needs. With them out of commission, Fuu had to fill the role of the protector.

So, with a heavy sigh, Fuu pushed her blanket back and gently rolled to her side so she could rise to a sitting position without using any stomach muscles. Her ribs didn't like the action much, but it hurt less than flexing her abdomen.

The movement caught the little retainer's eyes, and he quickly moved to her side, to aid her in any way she needed. Her mind was already racing with the things she wanted to try to gather today. A sense of impending doom still hung on the edges of her mind and the feeling of being watched and needing to get away would not diminish. The first order of business was to inventory the possessions from her father's house and then try to procure the missing necessities in the village, if possible. She needed to be ready to move the guys as soon as they woke up. For that matter, she needed a backup plan to move or hide the guys if some new threat approached while they were still unaware and vulnerable.

Kato fussed about being worried since it was midmorning and her not waking yet. Considering all the months she had traveled with the two jumpy, alert warriors before her, she felt she deserved a day to sleep late. If it wasn't Jin rising before the crack of dawn to meditate or something, then it was Mugen jumping up to investigate some suspicious noise. They were both so annoying, but their instincts had kept them alive during the trip. So she really shouldn't complain. But when did that ever stop her.

Fuu shifted slightly forward to fluff the matted hair on Mugen's head. She could almost hear him yelling about her whining and bitching about everything. Then, just by leaning over a bit, she combed her fingers through Jin's long hair. She could imagine him looking at Mugen, as Mugen was doing the aforementioned yelling, and giving the pirate a death glare. If it were a really trying day, the stoic ronin would probably even sigh, or make a condescending comment.

It was soothing to imagine their usual daily routines from their journey so far. It soothed her worries about the future. Truthfully, she had never even thought this far. There was so much that could have gone wrong during the meeting with her father. He could have apologized, begging for forgiveness, and taken her in. Unlikely, but it could have happened. Or he could have been furious and struck her down. She had no way of knowing because she didn't know that man at all.

Jin had even counseled her to think about what would happen "after meeting the sunflower samurai." But there was no way to predict that far in advance. Well, sure, Jin could. That was his specialty. Maybe that's what he was trying to get at that night by the river. She was sure he could have told her some possible outcomes. And as much as she wanted the guys to continue on with her, she knew they wouldn't. She had stolen months out of their lives that should have been theirs to do whatever they wanted with, instead of spending them in months of service to her.

Not only that, but there was the specter of the last fight hanging over her head. It wouldn't be right to continue her journey with only one of them. In her mind, they were the opposite halves of a whole. Like the heads and tails of the coin they thought she had tossed to start their obligation to her. As much as her girlish heart loved each man, she knew she could never pursue either man alone. Besides, her crush was just that; a childish crush on two very attractive, exciting warriors. Hopefully, some day in the not too distant future, because she was getting past prime marriageable age, she would settle down and find a nice man.

With a sigh, she turned to Kato who was smiling gently, and waiting with a bowl of broth to feed the comatose men. Since she was feeling better, she was quite glad that she could help with this intimate part of caring for her friends. The old man gave her the bowl while he gently raised Jin's torso off the ground and supported his head. She was rather glad that Jin was unconscious since this allowed her more of an opportunity to touch his rugged face. Her left hand gently gripped his jaw and noticed the beginning of stubble. As she was gently pouring a bit of soup past his slack lips, she thought about how she was going to shave him before he woke up. It would probably be better for Kato to do that. She'd hate to save his life from a sword battle, only to cut his throat with a shaving blade. To her shock, his eyes fluttered a bit as he swallowed greedily. It made her heart beat quicken as she anticipated him waking.

When most of the bowl of soup was emptied, she gently wiped his mouth. As if he were fragile, Fuu and the retainer gently rest Jin back on the floor and moved on to Mugen. She hoped Mugen would show some sign of waking like Jin had, but she was disappointed. Mugen slumbered on. Most of the soup made it into his mouth, and she gently massaged his neck to get him to swallow. It was when she was so close to him that she realized that the regular stubble he had on his chin was all the facial hair he seemed to have. Where Jin had a shadow over most of his jaw, Mugen had nothing more. Maybe it was because of their ages? Fuu had always assumed that Jin was older than Mugen. It probably had more to do with his attitude and regal bearing. But, now that she was looking at both their faces in a relaxed pose, she realized that they weren't much older than she was. Mugen looked like a cute boy and Jin looked barely old enough to be interested in girls.

Fuu smiled as she thought about the guys not being old enough to be interested in women. No, they were definitely men in that sense. With as much money as they squandered in brothels along their trip, there was no doubting their sexual maturity. Fuu flushed a bit wondering exactly what they found so appealing about brothels. Admittedly, she had been tossed into one, or was it two, but she couldn't see how a man could enjoy paying for that. I mean, where was the love? Where was the friendship? Didn't guys want love when they enjoyed a woman's body? It just made no sense to her.

When she had been pretending to be a boy in her younger years, she had befriended a girl in the brothel that the gang dragged her to. When the others were doing whatever they were doing behind closed doors, she and her friend just talked and napped. It made life easier for everyone and helped hide her secret. Part of her wished Jin had wanted her instead of buying that Shino woman, but she knew that she could not have given him her body casually. And the same realistic side of her knew that she would never appeal to Mugen because she was lacking in the "big hooters" department. Fuu fully expected both men to move on after they healed to find their own quests and wives. Yes, she even expected old scruffy, foul-mouthed Mugen to find someone to love him for the rest of his life. He wasn't all that bad once you got past the crabby attitude he used like armor.

She and Kato finished up feeding the guys and checking their bandages. It was so very important to keep the wounds clean so they didn't get sick. They would assess the wounds tomorrow to see if any needed stitching up. She gave the guys a quick once over with a wet washcloth and a bit of soap. It hadn't been long since she bathed them more thoroughly, but it gave her something to do. Also, it allowed some physical contact with their lean muscled bodies that she would rarely get to experience. It was hard to keep a silly grin off her face while she was doing this.

The little retainer bowed before her as she gently finished tending the men and asked, "Lady Fuu… if it would please you, may I inspect your wounds? Your ribs might need rewrapping." Fuu swiftly turned her head to glare at the little man as her thoughts whirled in her head. Realizing that his intentions were quite innocent, she acquiesced with a slight nod.

It was still terribly embarrassing to have a strange man look at parts of her that she considered private. Decent women did not go around showing off any skin other than face, hands and feet. Or so her Mom had told her. And, it had been one of the last things that her Mom had asked of her… to act like a true lady. She could pull off the act when she had to, but it still wasn't quite second nature. Yet, even when she was acting like a boy, it had been imperative to not show skin. Let's face it, there were some things that boys were bound to notice. So, she still had an innate desire to stay covered up.

She didn't appreciate the rougher than necessary pokes the old man dealt to her tender, bruised stomach and ribs, but she attributed it to dealing with men who were too 'tough' to show pain. In her mind she screamed, "Oh crap! That hurt!" and sucked in a breath. Unfortunately, that just dragged in the pungent smell of the bruise ointment that Kato was applying and almost made her gag.

As he was rewrapping her abused ribs Kato began talking to distract her from the discomfort. "Lady Fuu. With your permission, two men from the village will help me to bury the bodies found by the old abandoned church." His old voice was high and squeaky as he continued, "We will also bury the assassin from the cliff. If you don't mind, I will take a few coins out of your Father's purse to pay these men. That will help keep them quiet if anyone comes asking questions."

Fuu shuttered at the thought of anyone from the Shogun coming here any time soon. Hopefully, they would be long gone, and the trail as cold and dead as the assassin on the cliff. She turned her thoughts back to covering their trail and reminded the old man. "Don't forget to create an extra grave for me. We want anyone who comes snooping to think that the tree of us are buried somewhere along with the assassin. I'll decide later what to use as a marker to make them think the dummy grave is me."

A light drizzle began to fall from the grey turbulent sky as she patiently waited for the retainer to finish. "Has anyone gone to the beach to retrieve Mugen and Jin's broken swords? I want to make sure we have all the broken pieces of the blades too. They mean a lot to the guys. Jin once said that the swords were a samurai's soul. I'd hate to lose any of the pieces." It was a strange philosophy that she couldn't quite understand. Maybe it was tied to those prayer beads that were always nestled around Jin's wrist? If the swords were his soul, then who would he be now? Would he reinvent himself? Or would he wander, soulless for the rest of his days?

She shook off the dark thoughts and tried to think about something more practical. Her eyes fell on the half naked forms of her friends lying before her and her mind snapped to life. Clothes. She asked Kato "Kato-san, in the possessions that you salvaged from my Father's house, was there any extra cloth that I might use to repair Mugen and Jin's wardrobes?" She glanced lovingly to the scruffy pirate, "I need some red material. Enough to make two shirts, at least." It was a shame that Mugen didn't wear proper men's attire, but that just added to the mystique that was Mugen. Anyways, his usual style would require less fabric and less intricate stitching. As often as she patched up their battle torn clothes, it shouldn't be hard to replicate his favored red over shirt. Of course, it would be easier with the original to use as a pattern.

In her mind's eye, she tried to remember when she saw the red shirt last. He had it when he freed her from that awful church. Yet, when she found him half dead on the beach, it was missing. The only place she could imagine it being was in the ruins of that church. She would have to go looking for it when she felt more energetic. She could ask someone else to look, but it seemed too personal, too important, to delegate to a stranger.

After finishing up with her wraps, the old retainer handed her a bowl of rice, meat and vegetables. Hopefully, her stomach had healed enough from her beating to handle a bit of food. If not, she wasn't going to have the energy to do anything other than lay around like the guys. Being the attentive servant that he was, Kato poured her a steaming cup of medicinal tea and them moved towards one of the crates containing her Father's possessions.

Fuu gingerly ate at a snail's pace while Kato pulled out various packages until he withdrew a few articles of clothing. There was a navy colored bundle, a gray bundle, a white bundle, and a brown bundle. When he shifted back on his heels, she assumed that must be all of it, and there was no red in the batch. Of course, red was a bit flashy for a respectable businessman or samurai. Maybe Kato could purchase some in the village, or in the town on the mainland where the ferry docked.

The withered old man brought the bundles to Fuu and mentioned other things in the crates. "I gathered all of Seizou's personal effects that I could carry. There are journals, clothes, traveling necessities, money, house ware items and some mementos from his travels. I know he would want you to have them. I'll take the wagon over later today to collect the larger items that might help you during your stay, or in your travels."

It still disturbed her to use anything that came from her Father, since she was still angry at his abandonment, but this wasn't about her and her hurt feelings. This was about getting Mugen and Jin away safely, and making sure they were properly provisioned. So, instead of protesting, she simply nodded her head graciously and stared out into the wet world outside while she finished her meal.

After handing her empty bowl over to the smiling retainer, she set to work examining the bundles of cloth. The old man hustled around, washing the bowls, and setting the house, even though it was actually a shed, to rights. Then he bowed and headed out to do her biddings. She called after him to look for some red fabric, the brighter the better. It almost made her laugh to think about Mugen, trying to blend in and not be noticed, but wearing the brightest fabric he could find.

Fuu stretched out the bundles of fabric. In her mind, she could picture using the navy and gray to make replacement tops for Jin. He needed more than one and this would look like his previous kimono, minus the crest. As much as she knew he would hate losing the crest, it would help him escape notice and danger, much like the loss of his glasses would help him remain anonymous.

As she unfolded the gray fabric, she found that it was already a finished kimono. Judging by the proportions, it had been her Father's. A twinge ran through her heart as she pictured the big man from her childhood in that color. But, that was only a moment, and she returned to eyeing the cloth to determine how much it would need to be altered to fit Jin's leaner frame. She could use his torn kimono for a comparison. Maybe she could use the untouched part of his old kimono to create something for a keepsake. A pillow? A travel bag? A pouch for his money? She'd have to think about it when there were less pressing matters.

She moved on to the navy bolt of fabric and found that it was just that… a bolt of fabric. Well, she could always use the other kimono as a pattern. Although, eyeing the amount of the fabric, there was enough to make a formal kimono and maybe an extra pair of short pants that Mugen wore. Let's face it, Mugen needed another change of clothes too. Neither man was too gentle on clothing.

The brown cloth turned out to be another kimono that had seen a bit of wear and tear in places. When she stretched it out, she found there was probably enough salvageable material to make one of Mugen's short sleeve outer shirts. Sure, red was his signature color, but brown was close. Maybe he would only wear the brown while he was washing the red shirt. Still, she was determined to make this for him.

There was more white fabric than she knew what to do with. So, she decided to make each of them an under kimono for sleeping, except Mugen, his would be a shorter shirt like was currently wrapped around his waste with a bullet hole and knife gash in it. Maybe she would even try her hand at making some tabbi socks for her and Jin, although, she never had much luck on making good ones. Hers always turned out looking like hand puppets.

So, she set her mind on altering the gray kimono simply because Jin's old one was there to use as a template. She would have to go looking for Mugen's red shirt sometime later, when it stopped raining. With her plan firmly in mind, she slid over to the box of personal effects to look for a needle and thread.

If felt wrong somehow to go poking through someone else's things, even if they were technically now hers. It was like peeking at someone else's life. Little things that meant something to a stranger, who should never have been a stranger. She found many different papers that she would look at some other time. There were some letters. There was the journal Kato had mentioned. A small child's metal toy dog was wrapped in cloth to one side of the crate. Her brow creased as she thought "that's a strange thing to keep." There was a bit of jewelry in a small carved box. Finally, she found a bundle of thread and varying sized needles. As she withdrew this parcel, she absently wondered if any of these needles were ever used to close wounds.

As she was moving away from the crate, she noticed something familiar out of the corner of her eye. There was a long thin parcel behind the crate. Her curiosity got the better of her practicality and she set the sewing supplies down and pulled out this new object. Her first thought was "Jin's swords!" By the weight of the object and the feel of solidity under the shifting silk, Fuu knew this was a daisho; a pair of swords. She unwound the silk to reveal a strikingly beautiful katana (the long sword) and wakizashi (the shorter sword). The sheathes were a glossy dark blue that was almost black with gold scrollwork winding down the length like a living vine. The handles were wrapped in the traditional pattern of darker cording crossed over lighter cording. But the most striking aspect of the swords was the intricate carving on the tsuba (the sword guard). Vine carvings were twined around the hand guard and four, five-pedal flowers were stamped out of the material in uneven intervals.

Her heart skipped a beat as she gasped at the realization, "This must have been Father's daisho!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Fuu just sat staring at the twin swords that were resting on her lap amid the folds of the navy silk that had been bound around them. A swirl of confusing thoughts and memories swarmed her mind like angry wasps. She could barely remember staring in awestruck wonder at the great swords when she was a tiny child. How could they still look so new?

A sense of anger swelled within her as she brusquely rewrapped the beautiful swords in their silk prison and stuffed them back behind the box. She was angry at herself for getting sidetracked and chided herself, "No, I won't think about that right now. There is too much to do to get ready to leave this awful place. I won't let my friends down. I'll do what I have to do to protect them." And she turned away from that box of forlorn possessions and moved back over to her place between Jin and Mugen.

With purpose in her movements, Fuu crawled over to Jin's sleeping form and started to work on removing the tattered remains of his Kimono. With an almost angry jerk, she pulled the torn end out of his hakamas, but the other side was not so easy. A blush stained her face as she felt guilty for undressing the silent ronin. Still, it wasn't like she was making him any more naked than he already was. Seriously, most of his torso was covered in bandages anyway. He wouldn't miss this slip of fabric that was bunched around his waist.

Yet, the fact that she had to loosen the ties of his hakamas to get the fabric out was rather embarrassing. At least she had the good fortune to be able to accomplish her task while he was still out of it. It would have been awful for him to be awake while she was trying to 'undress' him.

Her girlish sense of embarrassment caused her to giggle uncontrollably as she struggled with the kimono. It shouldn't be this hard! All she wanted to do was make him another outfit! She wasn't a pervert or anything. She wasn't getting a cheap thrill out of this! Finally, she just had to stop, and let herself giggle at the strange situation. She tried to cover her mouth to restrain the sound, but it just felt too good to let loose. In her laughter, she thought maybe it would be wiser to just use the scrap of torn kimono to make something else, but then she would be admitting defeat. And she was NOT a quitter. No matter how embarrassed she might be.

So, with her giggles mostly under control, she set about trying to pull that ornery fabric out of his pants! As she grunted and struggled she complained, "What! Do you have it tied around your legs or something?! I know you're modest, Jin, but come on. This is ridiculous! Shino probably spent most of her time that you bought with her trying to untie you!"

Just the thoughts of Shino caused a jealous anger to replace the previous giggles, and she pulled with a strength she didn't know she had. She finally pushed Jin over onto his side in case his body was trapping the kimono under him, and managed to pull out the remains of the once proud kimono. She felt just the least bit guilty for the rough treatment of her injured friend, but it soon passed. There was no additional blood on his bandages, so she moved back to her self-appointed task of tailor.

With several curses about horny samurai and buying women, Fuu spread out the gray kimono and placed Jin's tattered kimono on top of it to mark where she would need to make alterations. It would be no big task to sew in a few darts to make this large gray kimono more form fitting. For that matter, Jin's regular kimono swallowed him like a tent. Maybe she needed to take this one in even more? Nah. He could use this one while he was healing, so it would need to be looser. Maybe she would make the navy replacement tighter so it would fit him better.

In her mind's eye, she was picturing Jin in a form fitting navy kimono. Although she thought he would look stunning, it might not be such a good idea. After all, the last thing she needed was more competition! She didn't want more women throwing themselves at him.

In disgust, Fuu exclaimed, "What am I thinking? How can I have competition when I'm not even in the running? I don't care how many women throw themselves at these guys. It's none of my business. Besides, they'll be leaving as soon as they are able." Her mood dropped a little at that thought, and she tried to shrug off the melancholy by deciding to make both Jin's kimonos just as baggy as his old one. If he wanted something better, than he could just pay for it himself!

Fuu's stitches were not fancy, but they were sturdy, and could handle the wear and tear that the men subjected their clothing to. She had found this out over their journey as she had repaired both sets of clothing, and her own also. Her mother had tried to teach her the fine art of women's sewing, but it didn't really stick in her head. She remembered the pretty, delicate stitches her mother made in the elegant silk they had used, but she herself could never replicate those stitches. After many months of trying, her mother had finally given up and moved on to the next item of importance in her tutoring.

Fuu never had the heart to tell her loving mother that none of that really mattered. There was no way she would ever end up the cultured wife of a wealthy or powerful man. They had nothing to recommend them to the match maker other than her father's station. And even that had been tarnished and stripped from them. Her lovely, gentle mother had been forced to work as a geisha after their savings had run out. They had even been forced to sell their land and live in the home of friends. So, there was nothing left to be used as a dowry for Fuu's future husband. But, in the end, her mother's grasp on reality had slipped, and Fuu just didn't have the heart to tell her that playing "lady" would never amount to anything.

"Ouch! Damn that hurts!" Fuu yelled as she lanced her index finger again. Who didn't use thimbles? Apparently, whoever had been in charge of repairing her father's things. He must have had leather for skin on his fingers! She had only found needles and thread in the parcel and had to make due. Unfortunately, she was about to throw all of it away because she kept poking herself!

Her grumbling continued, "Jin, I swear. You better appreciate this when you wake up. Cause if you don't I'm gonna stick you with this damn needle! You guys just don't know how much I do for you!" She had completed one whole side when she poked herself again and screamed, "Gah! I hate sewing! I should have just let you wear this too big! No one would know. Maybe it would make you look more intimidating?" She wadded up the gray fabric and tossed it across the room in a fit on frustration, needle, thread and all.

To cool off, Fuu stood and huffed over to the door. The drizzle was still falling and had even begun to fall harder as a steady rain. She looked around, trying to spy where the village men might be burying those crazy men that attacked them. She looked to the cliff where she and Jin had almost died. There was nothing there. Not even the body of the assassin. Had they dragged him down to the beach? She tried to crane her neck around to see if she could see down the path that leads to the beach. Even with stepping out under the little awning at the doorway, she could not see the beach, only the never-ceasing ocean and sea birds.

She again thought about the broken swords that she had left on the beach. In all truthfulness, she felt like she should be the one to retrieve something so important to both men. With a sense of urgency, she quickly found her sandals, grabbed the torn half of Jin's old kimono, and stepped out of the shed for the first time in what seemed like forever.

The rain was light, but still cold. She knew this might be a stupid thing to do, but it was important to her. She wouldn't let just anyone handle the souls of her two best friends. And she knew that the retainer could not have possibly finished the task of burying the dead to then go looking for the swords.

The path was still right where she knew it would be from the other night. At least this time, she wasn't dragging a half dead Jin down the cliff face. The dread she had felt just a few days earlier still hung in the back of her mind, even though she knew she would not find Mugen at the end of this trek.

Her mind wandered back to the times those swords had defended her. And even the time or two that they had fed her. Who needed to work when you had such skilled swordsmen to perform on the street for tips. But, if they ever did it again, she was going to make sure they were as sober as babies!

The beach rose up to meet her and she couldn't help but notice the enormous black crater where the explosion had tried to snuff out Mugen's life. There was blood still showing, black and crusty in places, which made her heart ache. Why couldn't they live without being pursued? Did the guys ever dream of a life like that? Quiet and peaceful? But then, what kind of life would that be for these highly competitive, swordsmen? It would probably kill their souls to not ever get to test their skills against other, possibly better, swordsmen.

She smiled at the thought of Mugen and Jin being bored and looking for a fight. Of course, they could always take a run at each other. Of all the times she had seen them fight, she wondered if either man noticed how they had adapted the other man's style to their own. Mugen had imitated some of Jin's quick strike techniques, and Jin had added some of Mugen's complete unpredictability to his perfected style. If they kept hanging around each other much longer, they would be identical in fighting styles. Of course, she didn't honestly ever think Jin would lower himself to slinging his body around like Mugen did. And she didn't honestly think Mugen would ever lower himself to develop as much quiet poise as Jin possessed. Still, it was a funny picture to imagine.

She finally realized that she was standing on the beach where her friends had their final battle to decide who the best was. There, next to the charred remains of the little fire she had started, to shed light on their injuries, were the remains of the two proud swords. She lowered herself down on her knees next to the hilts and broken blades. With reverence, she spread the tattered cloth out and carefully placed the two sword remains on the navy silk. She realized that the blades had broken half way down the length, which meant she had some pieces to find.

She stood and tried to remember where the men were standing and in which direction the tips of the blades might have traveled. The rain began to let up a bit as she puttered around the beach. Close to the high tide mark of the breaking waves, she found the shattered end of what she assumed was Jin's sword. She had been lucky that it had not flown farther, or it might have been carried out or buried by the tide.

After carefully placing that piece of the sword on the silk, she turned in the opposite direction to search for Mugen's sword. About the same distance from the fire, she found the broken tip of Mugen's proud sword shattered into three pieces against a large boulder. The gouge in the rock indicated where the blade had hit with such force that it broke apart. How hard had they struck at each other to cause such damage to these ancient blades?

She moved back to the scrap of silk which would serve to carry back the souls of her friends, and placed the parts of the blades together like a puzzle to make sure there were no missing pieces. Both blades seemed to be whole when they were pieced together, so she knew she had them all. With a bit of rearranging, she tied up the ends of the silk into a bag, and raised herself to carry back her precious cargo.

The trek back up the beach to the head of the trail, took her past the remains of the burned out church where so much of her life had changed. There wasn't much left standing of the former structure. She huffed, "Leave it to Mugen to destroy even ruins!" But, for some reason, she was pulled towards the terrible place.

She swallowed past a suddenly dry throat and felt the memories resurface that she had been avoiding for the past few days. This place which had once been a holy sanctuary had become a place of pain and torture. Still, the leaning, red cross could be seen amid the broken beams and shattered walls. Somehow, even through the pain, this place still offered hope.

She picked her way gently through the shattered wood, not really knowing what she was looking for, or hoping to find. It was all really surreal. Here she was, carrying the symbol of her friends' broken souls, and treading over the place where she had been so badly hurt in more ways than one. Still, they had come to save her. Was she supposed to find a way here to save them? She wiped at the nervous sweat that was building on her brow and wondered if she was suffering from too many blows to her head.

In the middle of the carnage, she noticed a spot of red. Was it a piece of the cross? No, it was a different color. With curiosity overpowering her sense of dread, she stepped closer to find she was standing on the remains of Mugen's red overshirt. She carefully pulled at the strip of cloth to free it from the debris. She was shocked to find it mostly intact, although quite stained with blood. She almost laughed at her find, since she had meant to locate the shirt to use as a template for a new one.

Slowly, she turned about in a circle to study the rest of the ruined building. Standing out straight up from a shattered beam, was another odd object. It was the little dagger that Mugen kept hidden in the end of his sword sheathe. At this find, she truly did laugh. How in the world had this object ended up surviving? With as much damage as was done to this building, it was a wonder everything wasn't turned to powder. Such was the destructive force of a Mugen unleashed.

It took most of her strength, and both hands to dislodge the dagger from the beam. "Boy, he must have thrown it really hard to bury it that deeply." As she leaned down to retrieve her bundle of sword pieces, she noticed a gleam of something over by the cross. What in the world could be left here to find? Mugen's sheath?

She carefully picked her way through the dangerous debris and noticed that parts of the floor had buckled and shattered with the force of the falling structure. But, over by the cross, the roof had already been destroyed. Perhaps, there had not been anything left to crush this part of the original church.

As she neared the cross, she could see that the cross itself must have been hit by something heavy, because the base of it had been driven into the wood of the floor by several feet. The gleam she had seen was being reflected by some metal surface showing through the pealed up floor beams around the base of the cross.

With caution, she kneeled beside the base of the cross and peered in under the exposed flooring. Her breath sucked in as she found a cache of what seemed to be weapons. Using Mugen's little dagger, she pried up one of the floor boards to get a better look. Sure enough, there were dozens of swords, daggers, scabbards and even a few guns. There were foreign weapons the likes she had never seen before, and larger weapons like pikes and lances. What in the world were all these doing in a church?

With a thought to keep this find hidden, she carefully replaced the board she had pried up, and pulled some of the debris close by to cover up the exposed gleam that had drawn her attention. Who knew, if no one claimed these weapons, maybe she could take them and sell them for traveling money? I mean, surely there would be some market for such exotic items. As she returned to her bundle of silk she got excited about something else. "Oh! Oh! This would be perfect! Mugen and Jin could see if there was anything in this pile that they might want to replace their broken swords! Oh, this will make them so happy!"

And with that she bounced all the way back up the cliff side path with her bundle of broken swords and a plan to replace their souls. She giggled at this thought. "So, if I'm replacing their souls, does that make them reincarnations? Lost souls? Undead?" She giggled even more thinking about them being undead and stuck digging in that stupid quarry with that druggy Shige guy who played the Biwa and thought he was going to find the lost Heike family treasure. That had been one really weird psychedelic mushroom trip.

Once she reached the top of the cliff, and had the little shack in sight, she noticed three men working farther down the hillside, away from the cliff. This must have been where Kato and the villagers had drug the bodies. She noticed it looked like a little family cemetery. Well, as much as she didn't like her assailants, she guessed she couldn't deny them a proper burial. I mean, they were someone's sons, at some point. Still, if it weren't for the fact that they needed graves to throw the Shogun off their trail, she would have agreed to just have them dumped into the ocean!

Just as she was stopping to watch the men work, a squall came up and the drizzle turned into a full blown driving rain. She squealed and dashed to the protection of the little shed. Once she made the cover of the awning, she couldn't help but laugh at her predicament. She looked like a drowned rat! Lucky for her Momo had stayed in the woods during their recovery, otherwise, she would have been a drowned rat wearing an angry, soaked squirrel.

As she stood there dripping, she wasn't exactly sure what she should do about it. She knew she needed to get out of her wet clothes, but she didn't have anything to change into. Everything she owned was currently on her back, literally. She searched around the room and her eyes fell on the heap of gray kimono that had landed in the corner when she got frustrated. She smiled with a devious thought about wearing something that would some day grace Jin's body. It was a rather childish pleasure, but she was still a child after all. Besides, she had been meaning to wash her kimono and under kimono for days now. This would be the perfect excuse.

So, with a renewed purpose, she retrieved the gray kimono and sewing supplies and made short work of finishing the alteration. Then, with a quick peak out the door to make sure no one was coming, she moved to the darkest corner of the shed and started unwrapped her obi. She kept glancing over her shoulder at the sleeping men, half afraid that one of them was just faking sleep, and would be watching her undress under half closed eyes.

When she had the soggy pink kimono removed, she dropped it and quickly removed the white under kimono. When it was also discarded, she carefully draped the huge gray kimono over her shoulders. Now, what was she supposed to do with her soaked bindings? She really didn't think it was proper to parade around unmarried men without any underthings on. Still, when had she stood on propriety. These guys were unconscious, and Kato was so old his eyesight probably couldn't tell the difference. So, with a hasty decision, she unwrapped her breasts and lower half. She would make sure ALL her clothing was clean and then she would ask for another bath! This time, though, she was going to use some of the cloth to create a curtain so she could bathe in private.

Having donned the altered gray kimono with nothing under it, Fuu felt down right wicked. She found a scrap of material that worked to wind around her waist in place of a proper obi. But she still felt like this kimono would gap open at any moment. It was so huge it swallowed her little frame. Though, she was glad Mugen was still out of it. Otherwise she knew he would make some comment about her lack of bosom and how it didn't matter if the thing did gap open, there wouldn't be anything to see. Normally, his comments would make her mad, but seeing as she was just imagining him saying that, and actually, wishing he was awake to say that, it just made her smile.

It was still fresh in her mind that she had almost lost her two best friends to death just days ago. She knew they were not totally out of the woods yet, not until they woke up. But they seemed so much better. So much like they were just sleeping after a really exhausting trip.

So, now that she was unbound under a new kimono, she wasn't sure exactly what she should do for the rest of the afternoon. She knew Kato would return close to sunset with some type of food and a report on what had been accomplished today. Hopefully, the graves had been erected and she could begin working on grave markers tomorrow. The sooner that was done, the safer she would feel.

She drug out the bundle of swords, dagger and shirt, and set the shirt before her as she drew out the brown material. If nothing else, she would start ripping apart the worn brown kimono to lay out the good sections to use for a shirt. She found that Mugen's dagger was perfect for cutting the fabric. It was super sharp. Of course, she knew that he was going to probably kill her for misusing his precious weapon when he woke up. She looked over at the sleeping pirate, "Mugen, you better wake up and stop me from using your dagger to cut fabric!" Her voice was almost singing, she was to happy to tease the sleeping man. She turned her face back to her work, so she missed the slight smile that tweaked Jin's lips at her taunting of the pirate.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Mundane afternoon

It was actually hard work making Mugen's shirt from the worn brown kimono fabric. By the time she had cut out the panels, most of the afternoon had faded outside. Of course, her little trip to the beach had taken up a huge chunk of her day, so she wasn't complaining. Besides, she was used to sitting and waiting for the guys to recover from some epic battle.

Still, she was beginning to wish that they were awake or that Kato would return. She was really getting bored and wanted to talk to someone. All her life she had been a vocal person and loved talking to people; Mugen could attest to that. Her life motto was, "When in doubt, talk it out!" She could always just start talking to the open air, or the comatose men, but that seemed a little crazy.

The shirt was going well; she had started piecing the panels together with some loose stitches that she would replace later. When she finally got to a point where her eyes were beginning to go blurry from looking at the fabric, she placed it down and looked to her washing.

Before she had started stitching the shirt, she had decided to rummage through the boxes of possessions looking for laundry soap. As humid as it still was from the on and off again rain, she needed to get her kimono and things washed so they could dry sometime this week.

So, as a sewing break, she stood, stretched, popped her back and shoulders a few times, and then walked to the far side of the shed. It was a good thing that the guys were asleep because they didn't particularly like when she hung her underthings out to dry. She mumbled, "They act like they've never seen underthings. I'm sure they have personally removed some from several brothel women." But, then a random thought occurred to her. Maybe women in a brothel didn't bother binding themselves? It made sense if you wanted quick and unhindered access. Just that thought made a shiver of revulsion course down her body. She told no one in specific, "I'm not going to think about that. That's just icky!" She laughed at herself. Mentally, she really was just a sheltered girl. Or so she liked to pretend.

She tried not to remember, and in some instances, actively forced herself not to remember, certain incidents that corrupted her world view. In her heart, she wanted to believe people were basically good inside. Some were misguided, and some were warped, but they had all started out as good. But with each passing day, and each successive tragedy in her life, it was getting harder and harder not to abandon those ideals. She didn't want to end up as jaded as Mugen and Jin. But, was it inevitable? Or was it simply a matter of choosing?

She had met men, women and children that had suffered worse tragedies in their lives than she, but they had still maintained an optimistic outlook, and refused to become bitter. It was those people that she looked up to and wished to emulate. Life was just too short and too precious to waste time being angry and expecting everyone to betray her. So, in the end, she simply took those memories that threatened this outlook, and shoved them as far down in her mind as she could so she didn't have to look at them very often.

So, when she said, even to herself, that she couldn't remember if she had been wearing underthings when she had gotten tossed into that brothel in the Yakuza controlled town, she was serious. All she could recall was being ditched by her bodyguards, and getting scammed into owing the brothel owner money for a stupid vase. She remembered making faces to be too ugly for anyone to buy, except that fat pervert who wanted her to be angry at him, and spank him. Then, she smashed the guy over the head, and escaped on her own. Oh, yes, she remembered that they guys had NOT rescued her. She got herself out. For all she knew, if she had waited for her supposed bodyguards, she would have been there a long time.

It wasn't until quite a while later in their journey, and a lot of sake later, that Mugen admitted to having returned to fight his way in to free her. If it hadn't been for the excessive amount of sake loosening up his tongue, she would never have believed his confession. Ok, so maybe he did care, it just took him a long time to act on it. Or maybe, he just didn't WANT to care, and his conscience bugged him until he did something. Again, this part of the story agreed with her belief that there was good in everyone. Even smelly, ex-felon, pirates who were obsessed with large "hooters."

So, with a sly grin, she fingered the kimono, yukata and underthings to gauge how quickly they were drying. At least, water was no longer dripping of the edges, but they were still soaked. She huffed, "At this rate, nothing will be dry until tomorrow." She reached out to take down her bindings to ring them out a bit more and giggled, "Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to wear Jin's new kimono for a bit longer." She didn't mention being naked underneath the kimono but she still felt a bit wicked.

Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that Kato should be coming soon with dinner. She was so happy that her aching stomach was simply sore muscles from the beating, and not some internal damage. Because, seriously, eating was one of the few pleasures in life that she could indulge.

But, it was starting to get dark with the heavy clouds still lingering about. If he didn't come soon, she wouldn't be able to set in motion the gathering of the weapons from the church. The first thing she had to do was subtly ask him if they belonged to anyone before revealing what she had found. For all she knew, the villagers themselves had been stockpiling weapons to arm a personal militia to defend the island from future attacks.

After that, she was torn if she should have Kato collect the cache of weapons and carry them to this shed. The alternative was to leave them where they were, and only move them when the guys were healed and ready to return to the mainland. Either way, the weapons would have to travel with them to that fishing village Kato mentioned so that he could slowly sell the ones that they guys decided not to keep. She was going to leave that part up to them, because she didn't really know a good weapon from a useless weapon.

Fuu wandered over to the doorway of the shed and searched the surrounding area that she could see without exposing herself. She was still wary of any possible assassins that might see her from the wide open cliff-side. Way off in the distance, she could just barely make out the town cemetery that was empty. "Well, I guess they either finished the graves, or called it quits for the day. I wonder where Kato is."

As if in response to her question, the little old retainer rounded the corner of the building pulling a cart loaded with lumber, paint and what smelled like dinner. There was also a small oven-looking object, but she wasn't sure what it was, since she had never seen anything like it before. She jumped in surprise and squealed, "Kato-san! You scared me!"

The little man looked shocked, and completely out of breath. He seemed to be running with his cart. He hissed, "Lady Fuu, get back inside! There are strange men who just came across on the ferry!"

That was enough to jump start Fuu's heart in a race to explode from her chest. Her mind screamed, 'Assasins!' and she turned to hustle back to her two friends. With only a thought to either hide or fight, she grabbed up the silk bundle from behind the box of her father's possessions, and whipped out the double swords. Unfortunately, her hands were shaking so badly that she dropped the longer sword quite unceremoniously. Who knew the darn things were so heavy. With a quick decision, she thrust the wakazashi in her makeshift obi and dumped the longer sword back in the box.

Behind her, Kato was quickly unloading the wagon and carrying everything inside. He watched Fuu from the corner of his eyes and explained, "Lady Fuu, it would be better if you and your friends hid instead of fighting. Do you have any skill with a blade?" When she spun on him, the stark terror in her eyes answered his question. He explained his idea, "We need to hide you incase someone searches this shed. I will create a wall with the wagon for you and your friends to hide behind and load all the equipment in front of it. No one will ever know there is anything in here other than tools and cemetery supplies."

Her panicked eyes finally registered that he had indeed been loading grave markers and paint into the small storage shed. It was quickly filling up the space around Mugen and Jin. Would this work? Who was here? Would someone tell where they were? She started mentally berating herself, "I knew I was getting too comfortable! Every time it feels like things are good, something awful happens. Am I cursed or something?" She quickly turned and pulled the shutter closed over the one window of the shed. It wouldn't do to have the enemy see what they were doing.

As he had promised, Kato carefully dragged Jin's and Mugen's bodies to the far corner of the shed and pulled the wagon in the doorway. With Fuu sitting at the heads of her friends, he pushed the wagon up so it was standing up on its end and the tongue of the wagon was leaning up against the wall above her head. It made a lean-to effect. A shelter within a shelter. Then, he stacked up the paint supplies and wood over the opening, effectively shutting Fuu in with the sleeping men. Now would have been a bad time to advise the little old man that Fuu was ever so slightly claustrophobic. Still, with the encroaching darkness, she wouldn't be able to tell if the walls were closing in on her or not.

Before Kato was finished, he passed her dinner in to her then used the white bolt of fabric to cover the pile of materials. If anyone looked in, they would only see supplies that had been stored for a while. As an added precaution, he stacked the other boxes and such around the wagon so deeply, that it would take some effort to wade through everything to even reach the corner where the refugees hid. It was obvious to Fuu that this man had done this before. He was too well practiced and calm.

Kato excused himself to go search out the strangers and covertly find out their purpose for visiting this secluded village. With that, Fuu found herself alone in the near dark, with Mugen and Jin's heads tucked in beside her thigh. For the first time, Fuu looked around the space they occupied without a panicked feeling. Um, this was rather… cozy? She was so close to the guys that she could hear them breathe. Unfortunately, there was no room for her to lie down. If they were stuck like this all night, where was she supposed to sleep? She figured she could always sleep sitting up. She complained in her mind, "Oh, joy! Another crick in the neck." But, it was well worth it to keep them safe. She was just feeling the aftershock from the startling situation.

Even though she knew the idea was to hide, she still clutched her father's long sword to her chest like some kind of shield. How had such a pleasant afternoon gone so terribly wrong so quickly? She wished now that she could go back to her happy sewing, that she had complained about before this happened. What was that old saying, you never know what you've got until it's gone? Yea, that applied here. Speaking of clothes, did Kato hide her kimono that had been drying in the other corner? She wanted to look, but was afraid she would dislodge some of their camouflage.

Beside her, Jin's head shifted back and forth like he was telling someone, "No." She gasped and quietly called out to him, "Jin?" Her trembling hand snaked out to caress his handsome, stubbly cheek and jaw. Was he waking up? Was he delirious? Oh, this would be a horrible time for him to develop a fever and start ranting. But, wouldn't that just be her luck! She brushed her hand gently over his forehead to determine that he did not have a fever. "Thank goodness!"

She whispered his name again, and his head turned slightly in her direction and his brow creased in a frown. His lips moved as if he was trying to speak, but nothing was coming out. She leaned over closer to his face to bring her ear closer. Nothing was coming out but his breath. Although, that wafted over her cheek in a warm manner that made her insides quiver. "Goodness, he's even sexy when he's unconscious." She thought to herself as she straightened back up.

Before the light completely faded, she dished up her dinner and consumed it quickly. There was broth for the guys, but she didn't think she would be able to maneuver them around to actually get it in their mouths. She could just pour it over the bottoms of their faces and hope it dribbled in, but that would be a mess, and a waste. She'd wait until she got the notice from Kato that it was safe to come out. Hopefully, that wouldn't be long as she really didn't relish the idea of sitting in the dark with her recent dread of shadows.

As she was putting away the empty bowl, she jumped when a hand smacked against her lap. Suppressing her instinctual "eep" she looked to see a blue tattooed wrist resting against her thigh. Mugen had moved! She grinned and felt like dancing and cheering. This was the first indication from Mugen that consciousness was returning. She only hoped that the two men didn't get into an unconscious slap-fight while they were supposed to be quiet and still.

The last hint of light left the room and she could no longer see anything, not Mugen, not Jin, not the surface of the wagon leaning in front of her face. With the uselessness of her eyes, her sense of hearing tried to compensate. She strained to hear anything that sounded like approaching danger and mentally catalogued every little sound. At times, her own heartbeat seemed to eclipse everything, then she would have to calm herself down with deep breathing. It was something Jin had taught her when they were staying with the monk while they waited for Mugen to challenge that samurai killer.

The air became a bit overly warm and stuffy in the enclosed space. She had to admit it was a nice change from the cold she had suffered the night before, but it was beginning to be uncomfortable. Having nothing on under the kimono, it wasn't like she could strip down to her cooler yukata like she normally would to sleep if she were in her own clothes. Now, in hindsight, her earlier wickedness was coming back to haunt her. Her mind supplied what Mugen would say, "It came back to bite ya in the ass little girly. Not that ya got much ass. You're built like a plank." Still…..

Somewhere in the endless darkness, she heard a breathy little voice call, "Fuu?" Her mind immediately recognized the quiet, deep voice as Jin. Her heart leaped into high gear as she reached out a hand to stoke his cheek and whisper, "I'm here Jin. But we need to be really quiet. We might be in trouble." His response was a barely perceivable "Hm." The response brought a huge grin to her face. Typical Jin response.

His little voice came again as he turned his face into her hand as she continued to caress his cheek reassuringly. "Are you alright? How's Mugen? Where are we?"

She sighed. It was probably going to be impossible to keep the usually quiet man quiet right now when he really needed to be. So, in her best reassuring voice she whispered, "I'm fine. Mugen is right beside you. He hasn't woken up yet, but he's started moving a little. We are hiding in a shed on the cliff up from the beech because some strangers showed up in the village a little while ago. So, we really need to be still and quiet."

She ran her hand down his neck and over his bare chest and asked, "How are you doing? Do you need any pain medicine?" She knew that he probably wasn't really awake and aware, but she could still ask. If this was anything like his other injuries, he would wake up many times in the next few days and ask those same questions over and over. She had always just assumed that during the initial stage of recovery, that the recording part of the brain was not functioning properly yet. So, she could answer his questions, but he didn't remember the answer. Though, it made her feel good that she was the first thing he asked about.

His voice sounded like he was talking in his sleep, "Pain is only a state of mind." It was probably some motto that his sensei had pounded into his head since he was a small child.

Fuu couldn't help but respond, "Okay, so is your state of mind in need of any pain medicine?" The man could be so funny in his seriousness.

Only a negative grunt responded. She took this to mean, 'thank you for being concerned with my well being, but I am fine. The pain is manageable.' She brought her hands back up to his luxurious hair and began massaging his scalp while she carded her fingers through the silky locks. It was truly a sin for a man to have prettier hair than she did. Maybe it was a special side effect of kenjutsu training?

She heard a gentle sigh and assumed he was enjoying the attention to his hair. She had to remind herself to give Mugen equal time. She couldn't and wouldn't show favoritism between her beloved friends.

She lavished attention on Jin's hair for what seemed like an hour until she was sure the tall man had returned to a deep sleep. Then, she gently moved her hands to the other head that rest against the side of her thigh. Mugen's insane hair was a mess again. How was that possible when he hadn't even moved an inch on his own? Still, she spent an equal amount of time massaging his scalp and finger combing his wild hair.

With nothing to occupy her mind, her thoughts returned to the wardrobe she was constructing for the guys. It was a shame that she could not make any pants for the two, but her skills just weren't that advanced. Also, there was the fact that the only pattern she could use to create any new pants, happened to be the only things adorning the bodies beside her. She'd have to strip them down to their underthings to use their pants as a pattern. And THAT just wasn't happening! She didn't mind seeing their chests, was actually enjoying that part of their bodies, but she was too young and innocent (relatively speaking) to want to see anything below the waist. She'd save that privilege for her husband.

The deep dark began to drag on her nerves as she wished beyond hope for Kato to come and let them out. She was getting tired and really wanted to lay down flat to sleep. She could sleep sitting up, but it wasn't a deep sleep. Then again, maybe that was good. If she didn't fall into a deep sleep, then she couldn't have nightmares, could she.

The current situation only reaffirmed her belief that they really, really needed to get out of here as soon as possible. Whereas before, she had been willing to wait until they guys were recovered enough to travel, she was beginning to think they needed to get away tomorrow. Her mind worked on the problem of how to smuggle her two unconscious friends off the island without being seen. First solution was to leave in the middle of the night. No one would notice their departure, but what would they do about the ferry. A boatman would remember a strange trio wanting passage across the bay at night.

Okay, so that was out. Besides, neither man could currently walk. So, what if they hauled them over somehow like freight? She had seen barrels of goods come over on the little boats. Maybe Kato could get some empty barrels, and they could smuggle them out like that? It wouldn't have to be at night. It could be in broad daylight. Still, it might be suspicious to send full barrels back to the mainland. Did the island export any crop or good that would be shipped in barrels? If they did, then all three of them could be packed into a barrel and Kato could be in charge of 'shipping' them to the little fishing village. Surely, all it would take would be a bit of money to rent a horse and wagon.

Still, the idea of being packed into a barrel again brought back memories of her adventure in the slave trade. She had been packed in that stupid barrel for most of the day before those nasty henchmen loaded her onto a skiff to take her to a sailing vessel. It had been terrifying to be hauled around near the water. Sure a barrel was made out of wood, and might float, but would it float with her added weight? She didn't think so.

So, that was a possible solution, but still, there was so much to do to arrange their getaway, that deep in her heart, she knew they couldn't possibly leave tomorrow. No matter how eager she was to escape. They still needed to gather supplies for the trip and recovery. They needed to finish the fake graves. They needed to recover the cache of weapons that would fund their stay in the fishing village. They needed to arrange for the horse and wagon and longshoremen to handle the barrels when they were ferried across the bay. And the only one she could reasonably trust to accomplish all of this was her father's old, wrinkly retainer. He might be good, but he was only human. Asking him to do all of that in half a day was ridiculous.

So, she had to resign herself to staying here on this horrid island a little longer. Hopefully, by morning, the rude village people will have chased off the strangers, and she would be free to move about the shed, and bathe, and get dressed in her OWN clothes. She snorted a little thinking about presenting Jin with this gray kimono before washing it. He might not appreciate wearing something that smelled like her. So, she would have to wash this kimono and hang it out to dry also.

With her mind full of things that needed to be done, Fuu never even really noticed when she lost her battle to stay awake. Considering it was just as dark with her eyes open as it was with them closed, it was no wonder. Her head titled forward until her chin rest on her chest and then she was gone.

Later on, in the deep dark of the night, Fuu slumped over to her side and slid down the wall. Her upper body landed on Jin's arm that was almost touching the wall that had supported her. Luckily, she had not been sitting closer, or her head would have landed on his injuries. As it was, the gentle pressure of her body on his arm caused Jin to shift, ever so slightly, up against Mugen in his sleep to give her a bit more room. If any one had witnessed this scene, they would most likely have been shocked to see the dog pile of bodies behind the wagon.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Fuu woke up with a groan as the aches from her twisted sleeping position made themselves known. Her right shoulder felt like it had been hit with a bat since she had lain on the point of her shoulder all night. When her eyes opened, she was staring at something blurry and peach colored. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to a surface so close, then she realized she was looking at Jin's naked chest!

With a gasp she reared up to a sitting position. In that instant, her ribs protested, her arm screamed at being moved, and her face blushed a violent shade of red. It was a good thing that neither man was awake, as the sudden air movement alerted Fuu to the gapping of her borrowed kimono. It seemed that the scrap of fabric that she had wound about her waist was not a suitable substitute for a proper obi.

With a huff of irritation, she readjusted the overly large, scratchy, top to cover her unbound assets and scanned the area listening for strangers. She had no idea what had happened with the sudden appearance of men in the town. All she could do was wait for Kato to return, or not. If the little man didn't make an appearance by night fall, she knew she would have to find a way to evacuate the guys without drawing any attention.

She groaned and rubbed all the sore spots on her aching body as her mind came awake and remembered the past days. With renewed concern, she turned in the half light of their hiding place and checked on Jin and Mugen. Maybe Jin would talk some more today? Maybe Mugen would open his eyes and say something annoying. She smiled at the thought.

Jin had turned slightly onto his side in an unconscious recognition of the space she had needed while sleeping against him. As such, she needed to roll him back so he wasn't scrunched up against Mugen. Because if Mugen woke up to feel Jin against him, he would probably throw a tantrum, and try to kill the samurai.

In working Jin's body around to get him situated, she must have jostled him a bit too much, because she noticed his beautiful eyes open. She gasped in a breath in anticipation, but he seemed to not be aware of his surroundings. She had seen this before, so she wasn't too surprised. It was like his brain was still asleep, but his eyes were open and void. It was a strange look on his usually controlled, thoughtful face.

Jin's blank eyes tracked her movements, and she almost felt like he was looking at her. Her heart skipped a beat and a jolt of adrenaline coursed through her body. She had to consciously tamp down her reactions because she knew she wasn't what he needed. She had convinced herself after the Shino incident that what Fuu felt for the quiet, thoughtful samurai was only a childish crush. He was a grown man, with needs and expectations. She figured he would find a good woman of standing and start his family in a quiet town somewhere back east. A sad smile graced her face as she pictured Jin training his sons, who would be miniatures Jins, with Shino and miniature Shinos standing off to the side watching.

It was hard backing away from the guys when her heart told her to cling to them and keep them with her. But she knew what she was and what they were. She couldn't allow herself to continue being dependent on them. She would need to stand on her own again, like she had for the year after her Mom died.

Still, at times when she was tired, or her resolve was fading, she would imagine what life would be like if the three stayed together forever. It was always the same, they would find some quiet, out of the way town that the Shogun did not control. Then, they would work together to raise money like they always did, and buy a small house. From there, the dream was rather vague, but Jin and Mugen always had stable jobs like teaching martial arts, being bodyguards, bouncers, bounty hunters or police officers. And she got to stay home with the kids, some of whom looked like Jin and some like Mugen. Even in her daydreams, she couldn't choose between the two, and subconsciously decided to keep both. Was it acceptable to have two husbands? Would the two men willingly share a wife or would they become jealous and try to kill each other? She didn't think she could love the survivor if he killed the other. It would be like a betrayal to the one who died.

But then reality would rear its ugly head and her little daydream would crash to the ground and shatter. There was no way she could keep them both. They didn't feel about her the same way she felt about them. Neither man was interested in a deep relationship. They only wanted quick, unattached meaningless gratification. Or worse, they wanted the unrealistic fantasy of something they could not have, like Shino for Jin, and that ninja woman from the brothel for Mugen.

Fuu knew she was neither of those types of woman. She was too familiar, too plain, too needy, too unfeminine. It would be unfair to tie the guys to her for any longer period of time because they all needed to find a way to live their short lives to the fullest. Still, in quiet moments, like now, her daydream called to her to make it a reality.

She quietly chewed on her lower lip as she tried to stifle her stomach from making noises. It had missed a few meals, and was not above making a protest. The last thing they needed was for some snoop to hear her stomach and discover them huddled behind the wagon in the shed. She silently cursed her luck, "Why me? Why now? Why can't life just be simple for once? No threats, no attacks, no kidnappings, no vendettas, no assassins, no Shogun. Just a simple day to lie in the sun and be thankful for being alive another day.

She closed her eyes and leaned her weary head against the wood wall behind her. All this waiting and anxiety was giving her a headache, and making her stomach hurt. Still, what else could she do in broad daylight?

Beside her, she felt a stirring of one of the bodies on the floor. Her eyes popped open, expecting to see Jin attempting to rise. Instead, Mugen was shifting about as if he were trying to get comfortable. Maybe he had noticed his close proximity to Jin and was trying to move away. Just the thought made Fuu grin. She whispered, "Mugen, stay still or you'll give our position away." As she suspected, the self-preservation part of Mugen's mind understood this threat and he stilled instantly. He didn't need to be conscious to know they were in a precarious position. Both men instinctively seemed to know that they were vulnerable when asleep or injured.

At her whisper, she noticed a gleam of recognition enter Jin's blank, unfocused eyes as they turned to look up at her face. Was he conscious of their surroundings? She smiled her best reassuring smile at her Ronin friend and hoped he would relax. He didn't need to start trying to move around and reopen his wounds. It would still be a good week or so before he would be able to move without consequences. She reached out and gently stroked his long flowing hair that surrounded his head in a tangled waterfall of black. It was enough to ease the sudden stiffness in his frame, but not enough to cause his eyes to close.

As she watched the guys rest, a nagging sensation assaulted her mind. She wasn't quite sure what she was hearing, but it was rhythmic and out of place. She tried to turn her head and catch the sound, but it was still quiet and vague. A cold stab of fear coursed through her body when she realized it was footsteps.

She heard the shuffling getting closer and clutched the fallen short sword from her father's daisho. She saw Jin's eyes focus on her movements and seem to understand what was going on. Even though she was trembling with the idea of defending them, she accepted that she was the only one who could. So, when Jin's hand reached up for the hilt of the sword she clutched to her chest, she reflexively slapped his hand away. It was almost comical the size his eyes grew to in his shock. Fuu used her best stern glance and pointed a finger accusingly at Jin's nose in a gesture that communicated, "Hey you! Don't do that again!"

Then, there was a loud bang as the door of the shed was roughly thrown open. She knew without looking that it was not Kato. The old retainer was gentle and kind, and would never have done anything like that to frighten her. A squeak was wrenched from her throat at the sudden noise, and she silently cursed herself and prayed that she had not just given their position away.

Sweat rolled down her face, neck and back as she sat in a rigid position and waited for the heavy footfalls to go away. Surely their hidden area would not be discovered. They were so well concealed. No one would think to look there. Holding her breath, she strained to hear any further sounds. Nothing reached her ears but the sounds of outside and the distant ocean. Could the owner of those shuffling feet have merely opened the door and looked in?

After an eternity of waiting and straining to hear, she decided to venture a peak out of the stack of supplies beside her. In her quietest manner, which for Fuu was not very quiet, she placed the hand holding the short sword down on the floor and shifted her legs up under her so she could raise her head even with a tiny opening between the cemetery supplies and the side of the wagon. She only saw the open door with the slant of sunlight streaming in to splash the wall. She shifted her head around so she could see different parts of the shed and saw no indication of anyone entering their sanctuary. She released the captive breath and began to relax.

So, it was no wonder that she gasped when a hideous, dark face moved into her line of sight and stared back at her through the opening in their camouflage. This face was so close that she could smell his rancid breath as he chortled, "Gotcha!" and reached a big, beefy hand through the barrels and painfully grabbed her left arm. With an inhuman jerk, the terrifying man yanked her forward through the barrels and wood and into the open. The force of her frame hitting the heavy objects drove her breath from her body, and added new aches overlaid on top of her old ones.

It was only a moment before she found herself hauled roughly outside, into the blinding morning sun. All the while this huge man was laughing to himself, "What a great find! I'm going to enjoy spending the bounty for this one. Not to mention the fun I've had burning and terrorizing a town. And I won't even get in trouble for it this time." His deep chuckling brought her back to reality as she tried to pull her arm out of his grasp.

Out in the sunlight, she could smell the sickening scent of burning wood and other things and realized that this man must have torched part of the town for information. Had the townspeople turned them in? Fuu's brain started churning with ideas and plans. At this rate, at least big and ugly was getting away from the guys. She didn't think he had even seen Jin and Mugen in their hideout. Maybe she could lead him away and find some way to escape.

The dark, grinning face with broken teeth and shaggy facial hair suddenly turned to her. The hand that was not gripping her left arm tight enough to snap flew towards her face before she realized what was happening. Pain exploded through her right cheek as the back of his fist made contact with her face and sent her sprawling down into the dirt. By the time the stars had cleared from her vision, the evil man had turned away from her and was fiddling with something at the front corner of the shed.

His distorted voice carried over his shoulder as he ordered, "Now you just stay right there miss paycheck while I make sure your bodyguards don't ever follow us. I'd hate to lose my meal ticket to some pansy Ronin or some lame criminal." As she spit the blood out of her mouth from where the inside of her check had been cut against her teeth, she realized what was going on. This man was striking a flint against some material and wood that was piled up against the shed. Her mind screamed with realization. "HE'S GOING TO BURN JIN AND MUGEN ALIVE!"

Desperation and panic suddenly swelled up in her and she leapt to her feet, ignoring the protests of pain echoing throughout her body. She had to stop him. She had to save them. She shouted, "NOOOOOO!"

Her fingers clenched suddenly around the hilt of the wakizashi that she had not realized she had been clutching beside her. In a flash of insight, she knew that the man had not noticed the sword dangling from her right hand, hidden in the folds of the massive kimono. He had hauled her around by her left arm and she had been too shocked to bring up her right arm to defend herself. She glanced down surprised to see that the scabbard must have become dislodged when she was yanked out of her hiding place, because she was staring at an impossibly sharp, glittering blade.

There was no time to think or stop or argue. The tinder against the shed was beginning to smoke as the giant man huddled over his work, nurturing the spark that would become a funeral pyre if she did nothing. She launched herself at the man and screamed, "I won't let you!" Which was enough to cause the smirking man to turn his upper body towards her. He looked over his shoulder, no doubt to threaten her to be quiet or else.

With every bit of strength, love and fear that she held within her small body, Fuu grasped the hilt of the short sword with both hands and swung towards the rising form of her captor. His face registered surprise as he noticed the sword whistling towards him and his right hand automatically reached for his own sword. But, he was a moment too late.

Not taking her eyes off the face of this evil man, Fuu didn't even realize what she was doing. She felt the reverberating vibrations as the sword struck a solid object, slowed its progress, then continued on through. The sudden lack of resistance caused her to lose her balance and pitch to the ground between the man and the doorway.

She scrambled on her hands and knees a few paces away from the man out of fear that he was going to bring his sword down on her back. Then she spun over to a sitting position to look back in fear that the fire would now be raging and enveloping the shed that protected her friends.

Instead, she saw the big man kneeling with a shocked look on his face as both hands seemed to be holding his neck. She looked back at the smoldering pile of kindling and noticed it had not erupted into a fire yet. Maybe, she could distract the man long enough to extinguish that spark.

It was only then that her eyes returned to the face of the killer that she realized that copious amounts of blood were draining from around his fingers like water. His mouth was open and his eyes rolled back into his head as a strange sound escaped him. Suddenly, he pitched backwards, right on top of the smoking pile. Then all was silent.

Fuu had no idea what had happened and her body still hummed with the adrenaline of fear and protectiveness. This could be a trick. So, she slowly scanned the surrounding area for any accomplices, and then tried to rise from her awkward sprawled sitting position. As she placed her hands on the ground to assist her in rising, she noticed the blood dripping off her father's sword that was in her hands. She blinked her huge owlish eyes and all her mind could muster was a confused, "What?"

Her body began shaking as she gained her feet and slowly crept closer to the body by the shed. She kept expecting it to reach out and grab her, so it was hard to get too close. With a wide circle, she approached from the side so she couldn't be pinned against the shed if she had to run. She kept the short sword out in front of her like a dousing rod even though her arms were shaking so violently that it traveled all over the place.

The big man was still lying on his back with his hands to his neck. When she got close enough to see his face, she recognized the look of death. She had seen it enough times traveling with Jin and Mugen. But she had never actually caused that look on another human being herself. She could barely kill animals for food. To fish, she had to get Mugen to put the worm in the hook because she couldn't even cause injury to a simple thing like a worm. And here she had killed a man.

Her mind still didn't believe what her eyes were telling her. So, she approached a little closer and poked the man with the tip of the bloody wakizashi. When that got no response, she inched even nearer still and kicked his leg fairly hard. At least, it was hard enough to make her bare toes hurt. Still nothing. Then she looked to his chest for any telltale signs of respiration. She had gotten good at watching the guys breath to reassure her of their presence in the living world. This felt so wrong to be doing the same thing to reassure herself of this man's death. Nothing. His chest was as still as a statue. It was then that reality sunk in.

She shrank back from the corpse… the corpse that she had created. Her whole body began shaking as her brain could only form one phrase that slipped repeatedly from her lips, "Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!" Her legs stopped cooperating and buckled, sending her once again sprawling to the dirt on her rump. But all her eyes could see was that horrible, still face and the dripping blood. She had to get away from it.

Her hand released the hilt of the short sword as she shifted over to crawl away on her hands and knees. In that position, her stomach finally made itself known as she heaved up the bile that had settled in her stomach. As she crawled, her stomach continued to dry heave long after it was completely empty. The tears coursed down her face as the suppressed fear began eating away at her composure as it surfaced and took control of her body. Her thoughts finally turned to the guys. They would know what to do. They would help her. She had done this to keep them safe. She needed to see them.

Slowly, she crawled into the shed, keeping her face turned so that she couldn't even see the corpse in her peripheral vision. The cold shivers continued to race down her spine but at least she had stopped dry heaving. It was not hard to make her way towards the upturned wagon, because the man had essentially used her exiting body to knock the boxes and barrels out of the way. There was practically a cleared path back to where she had been sitting not so long ago.

Fuu's hair hung lifelessly around her face and hid her eyes from seeing anything around her but the floor. Her brain had shut down, and her body was moving only on instinct right now. So, she was almost to her best friends when she dazedly realized that Jin was looking at her with shock on his face. He had rolled up onto his left side, with his left arm supporting his semi-upright position. She noticed he wasn't really sitting up, more like barely higher than if he had just been lying on his side. In his right hand was the scabbard for her father's wakizashi, held so tightly that his knuckles were white from the strain. It only took a moment for her dazed mind to realize that he had intended to use that sheath as a weapon, and had tried to drag himself out from behind the wagon to help her.

As he struggled to sit up, she shushed him and cooed, "It's okay. Everything's fine. Don't get up or you will hurt yourself worse. Please. We're safe for now." She continued to crawl over until she reached him and then heavily sat herself back in her previous position. Jin's eyes were still clouded with concern and his brows were knit together in a frown. In a stern, raspy whisper Jin demanded, "Fuu, tell me where you are hurt. You are covered with blood!"

Fuu looked down at herself for the first time. It was true; she was covered with splattered blood all down the front of the gray kimono. Her dazed mind noticed that at least the substitute obi had kept the kimono from gapping open and showing her assets. In an attempt to look unconcerned, Fuu forced a smile and waved her hand dismissively, "Oh this. Don't worry. It's not my blood." Still, she could not stop the shakes that continued to wrack her body as she tried not to think about what had happened. Every time the image of the still face entered her mind, she had to close her eyes and fight off another attack of dry heaves.

Jin's mind tried to fight off the effects of his injuries and recovery and piece together all that he could remember of what might have happened to result in Fuu being in this state. Exhaustion kept dragging on his recovering body, and he knew he would not be awake for much longer. He had experienced this deep healing too many times over his life to not know the symptoms and process. Finally, in frustration, he demanded again, "Fuu, tell me what happened."

Fuu shuddered and looked back at Jin. His eyes were becoming unfocused and she knew he would not remember this later. He was not in that stage of healing where his brain would retain memories. He was only temporarily awake. So, she smiled at him and reached out with a gentle touch, ignoring that blood was drying on her hand, and reassured him, "It's fine. Nothing happened. This is all just a bad dream you had while you were recovering. You need to hurry up and get better, because I miss talking to you. You know you are my hero, and you need to get better so you can keep me out of trouble. Who knows what might happen while you sleep?"

She watched as his forehead relaxed and the frown faded. His face returned to a peaceful meditative look, and she helped him slide back down to rest on the floor without straining his injuries. In moments, his eyes gracefully fluttered closed, and she breathed a sigh of relief and released the fake smile. The shock and revulsion in her mind over what she had done finally slipped as she thought, "I did it to protect them. He was going to burn them alive! I couldn't let him do that." And she realized that she would do the same thing over again if she had to.

A strange sense of calm settled over her as she watched her two best friends sleep unaware of how close they came to death again. She leaned over each and placed a gentle kiss on each sleeping forehead. They were her whole world right now, and she would fight to keep them as long as she could. She shifted her tired eyes to look at the little piece of blue, sun lit, morning sky she could see out the doorway and thought to herself, "What a great day to be alive."

OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

AN: As you can tell, I'M BACK!!!

Yes, I survived the 3 days of Bar Exam Hell. No, I don't think I passed. No, I don't really care at this point. I'm just happy to be able to read manga, fanfiction and watch anime without guilt! My first night back, I read 4 manga books I had pre-ordered. Ah, what bliss. Still, it rots that we won't know the results of this exam for 2 months. The joys of beauracracy!

So, review if you want to


	9. Chapter 9 Aftermath

Chapter 9

It was late in the morning by the time Kato and two local villagers felt safe enough to venture towards the shed that hid the fugitives. Of the three strangers that appeared the day before, two had already been sent packing back to the mainland with the fake story that the assassin had killed Fuu, her two bodyguards and her father, only then to die himself in the battle.

All of the residents of the island were quite fluent in lying when it came to questions of Christianity, or the Christians that "used" to inhabit the island. In truth, all those who remained were believers and refused to run away from their ancestral homes. It was actually a good example of hiding in plain sight. The Shogun's subordinates could not comprehend that those who were guilty and being hunted would remain. So, to their logic, the remnants were non-Christians. It kept the residents safe for years.

Kato had been terrified that the three strangers would insist on exhuming the bodies to confirm the identities of the corpses. They had only been buried for a day. It would be a disaster, especially since Fuu's "grave" was empty. Still, several villagers gave the strangers a tour of the island and made sure to highlight the house where Seizo Kasumi had been slain, the cliff covered with blood where Jin had "died" and the beach where Mugen was "blown to pieces." It was not much of a stretch of the truth to state that Fuu had also been slain on the cliff. There was surely enough blood to attest to the supposed slaughter.

After the tour, the town had prepared a feast for these men to simulate a celebration for being "freed" from the curse of Christians in their midst. The object of the party was to get the men so drunk that it would be simple to place them back on the ferry to the mainland. Unfortunately, half-way through the night, one of the men disappeared. A covert search turned up nothing on his whereabouts, and left the village elders sweating over their possible unmasking.

The two hung over strangers were whisked away early in the morning with fake smiles and affection while villagers set out to scour the countryside in daylight for the missing official. Kato neared the shed and strained his senses to detect anything wrong. The younger men behind him trailed along with their swords hidden in the folds of their hakamas. It wouldn't do to alert the remaining stranger to the presence of swordsmen among the supposed peasants.

As their path took them closer to the shed, Kato noticed a shadowy object peeking out from the front corner of the building. He knew there was nothing left out there when he hurriedly camouflaged Fuu's hiding place the evening before. He had personally taken everything inside that could possibly be used to barricade the girl and her friends. His heart sped up and his breath quickened as they neared.

It became obvious from the shape, and color of the shadowy object that it was a man's arm and sleeve peeking out from the corner of the shed. The two younger men ran ahead of the old retainer to protect him from any danger that might spring on them. Both men gasped as they reached the front of the building. Kato watched the eyes on his companions as they grew huge in shock and wonder.

Kato understood as he moved forward so more of the body that was attached to the arm became visible. A large, ugly man lay on his back with his sightless eyes staring up at the sky with a disbelieving look on his face. Dried blood stained his ghastly white hand that was clasped to his neck, which seemed to be the source of his death. So, the mystery of the third stranger was solved. But, how did this man end up dead?

Kato looked about the grounds for a moment and noticed the wakizashi of his late master's daisho. It apparently had been dropped a few feet away from the corpse, and not even properly cleaned off. Blood had dried on the blade, and was sure to rust the heirloom if it were not cleaned soon. This simple fact made it clear that neither of Fuu's bodyguard, friends had been the executioner of this threatening man. No man who lived by the sword would abuse a blade in this manner. That only left Fuu or a villager. Surely, sweet, little Fuu could not have done such a thing. Yet, she was her father's daughter. Was it possible that she had found the courage to defend herself and her friends? And, if this were true, how would it affect the girl who had already been so traumatized in the last few days?

Fuu was awakened by the loud exclamation that could only come from Kato. Yet she could not actually hear the words the old man was shouting. At that moment she wondered when and how she had fallen asleep. She looked over to her right to see Jin and Mugen were safe and unconscious. A deep sigh escaped her lips as she turned her head to try and focus on the commotion outside the door.

"Lady Fuu! Oh Kami! What happened here" Other voices were shouting in alarm out front of the shed, and she tried her hardest to remember what was going on. Everything seemed distant and blurry. All she wanted was to run away and sleep for a week. It was just too tough to even think. Her mind wandered off to daydream about laying in a sunny meadow.

Time seemed to have fast-forwarded on her as she realized that there were strange men hustling about the shed, removing the supplies in boxes and barrels. Kato knelt before her with a worried frown on his face. Fuu didn't know why, but her left cheek stung like it was sunburned. Then she understood why when she saw the old retainer pull his hand back from its follow through from slapping her, and appeared to be ready to slap her again. She flinched and squealed in alarm as she prepared for the blow, but it never came.

The little old man rambled, "Oh, Lady Fuu. Please forgive me for striking you but I didn't know what else to do. You had me so worried. I thought you were dead when we came in and you did nothing but stare. Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? What happened?"

Her eyes felt like she had not closed them for days, but she still managed to focus on Kato. Her voice was tiny as she responded, "I'm fine. Everything's fine. We're safe." But no matter how hard she tried, she could not seem to remember exactly what had happened that he was so upset about. She searched around the shed and seemed to vaguely remember that they were hiding. Her eyes returned to her two friends that were still sprawled out against the wall, even though someone had removed the hand wagon.

She remembered she needed to finish sewing some kimonos. She remembered traveling on their quest. But, for some reason, recent events eluded her. She simply shrugged her shoulders and stopped trying so hard. Her Mom had always told her that memories always came back when you stopped trying so hard to remember them. With that thought in mind, she turned to the retainer and stated, "I'm hungry." She didn't realize that her voice came out as childish sounding as it did, but she was too distracted to care.

Kato's mouth hung open in abject confusion at her responses. He had seen things like this happen to warriors after witnessing or experiencing something horrible. It seemed that their minds just either shut down or tried to forget the troubling memories. He could only guess what had happened to her from the blood on her clothes, and the dead body outside with her Father's wakizashi next to it. His beloved master's daughter had somehow killed a man and was now sitting before him in complete shock.

He smiled a kindly, fatherly smile and reassured the confused girl, "Yes, I have lunch being brought up, along with a lovely bath for you. One of the women in town remembered you from the other day, and agreed to help you wash up. I'm sure you'll feel much better when you are clean and in your own clothes. After lunch, we need to redress your friends' wounds, and feed them. Then you can come and inspect the fake graves that we created to see if they are as you desired."

Fuu just barely understood what was going on. Her eyes felt all dry and hot. There was an awful taste lingering in her mouth, and something stunk. She wrinkled her nose and hoped it wasn't her. She prided herself on staying clean, no matter how dire the circumstances. Men walked in and out, taking the boxes and barrels out of the shed that had been stored there to hide them. Soon, all that was left was herself, her friends, and the supplies that had been gathered days before.

A small smile graced her face as Kato brought her favored, pink kimono to her all neatly folded and smelling fresh. The pile of bindings on top of her kimono made her blush, as she remembered she was naked under Jin's new kimono.

For some reason, Fuu couldn't seem to move her body to help the little old retainer as he rearranged the supplies, or replaced Jin and Mugen to their previous positions in the middle of the room. It was like her body was no longer under her control, and she was simply a dispassionate observer. She realized this was something strange, but couldn't seem to do anything about it. If Fuu had lived in the twentieth century, a psychologist would have diagnosed her with a dissociative disorder resulting from post traumatic stress syndrome. But as it was, everyone simply thought she was acting strangely.

Finally, a middle aged woman approached the doorway carrying a large pot. The smell of stew graced the air and caused Fuu's stomach to growl in the worst way. The older woman was pale and seemed to be staring at something just outside the doorway of the hut, but she continued on in and knelt beside Kato. When the older woman's eyes glanced at Fuu, a look of shock and horror crossed the woman's face before the terrified eyes darted to stare at the floor.

Fuu didn't realize how awful a picture she made. The gray kimono she was wearing was stained all down the front with dried blood. Some had even splattered onto the girl's face and neck. Worst of all, Fuu's eyes were empty and blank, giving her the look of a corpse herself. It was quite a shock to this woman, since she was the one who had given directions to this same girl days before on where to find Seizo Kasumi. At that time, the girl had been vibrant, and so full of life. It was decided that the bath was needed more than the food at that moment.

It was no time before the older woman had strung some of the white fabric across a corner of the shed where the two villagers had positioned a fairly large tub of hot water. Fuu allowed the woman to lead her along like a small child with no will of her own. Which, was not too far from the confused state of her mind. Fuu could see what was happening and hear what was said, but she just couldn't seem to get a grasp on the meaning of anything.

An hour later, and several bars of soap later, Fuu was clean and dressed in her own kimono. She felt more like herself as she squatted next to the guys and retrieved the brown shirt that she was working on for Mugen. Somehow the idea of eating had slipped out of her thoughts and she no longer realized she was hungry. The old retainer gathered the grey kimono she had carelessly discarded and carried it past her on his way to the laundress. Fuu's eyes gravitated to the grey fabric splattered with reddish brown and she froze. In a flash, she could see a large, gnarly man holding his neck and gurgling as his life blood splashed towards her. Adrenaline coursed through her body as her heartbeat skyrocketed to a painful level. She threw herself towards the corner that had housed her bathtub, and heaved. Nothing came up since she had yet to eat anything since yesterday. Still, her body reacted violently.

Poor old Kato watched this with distress. He had seen the terrified look in her eyes after viewing the stained kimono. In a swift move, he tossed the material out the shed door, and scurried over to his master's sick daughter. He spoke kind, soothing words to the stricken girl as he ordered the older woman to carry the kimono away to be cleaned. If the stain could not be completely removed, it was to be burned.

After an eternity that passed in moments, Fuu collapsed into a shaking, sobbing mass against the retainer. The sobs lessened to a quiet cry, then to simple tears slowing on her cheeks. Her eyes returned to the lifeless, blank look that they held when Kato had originally arrived. Kato decided to simply allow the woman to heal and return to reality at her own pace. Until then, he was going to simply continue the routines that they had established over the last three days. He gently replaced her on the mat at the head of her two friends' sleeping places and busied about the hut. He spoke of mundane things and the condition of they guys as he changed their bandages.

The body of the slain bounty hunter had already been carted off to the cemetery. In truth, this was a godsend in that now they had an actual body to place in the fake grave for Fuu. If the Shogun should ever send workers to exhume the bodies, they would not know how petite the girl was, and would never question the size of the bones entombed in the ground.

An hour later, Kato noticed that Fuu was snoring quietly. While she was unaware, the little retainer proceeded back outside the hut and retrieved the bloody wakizashi. He sat in the corner with the other personal effects of her father's and polished the antique blade to remove the blood before it could rust the precious metal. No true swordsman would allow their blades, even the smaller wakizashi, to remain moist. They even carried special paper strictly for that purpose in battle.

Luckily, the rain had not deserted the island completely, as a steady downpour resumed in the early afternoon hours. Kato was grateful that the heavens saw fit to wash away the evidence of the bloody corpse that had graced the front of the shed. The men had pieced together the events from the body itself. For when they removed the ex-bounty hunter, they found a pile of tinder and a flint. It was not a stretch of the imagination to guess that the evil man had extracted Fuu from her hiding spot, then intended to use the tinder to create a funeral pyre for the injured bodyguards. If Fuu had not acted, the two men would be dead, and she would be long gone, in the hands of the Shogun. Kato shuddered as he imagined the horror this little girl would face at the hands of the Christian hating government. If the caliber of assassin that had been sent after her was any indication, the Shogun considered her one of the top threats in the country!

As the trio slept and the rain splattered outside, the wrinkled old retainer placed bowls to catch the leaks and set about painting grave markers. Couldn't have convincing graves without markers. Each picket was ceremonially painted and lettered with the utmost care. Although, it was an ancient superstition that putting a living person's name on a grave marker would cause their immediate death, he knew in this case, it would prevent their deaths. He scratched his head, leaving a smudge of white paint on his temple, as he thought, "Well, if it doesn't actually prevent their deaths, at least, it might delay them by throwing the assassins off their trails long enough to disappear."

He knew that his beloved, deceased master had left enough to support all three of these for the rest of their lives. The only problem was how to use it. They could convert the land and personal property all into coins, but it would be bulky and dangerous. It wasn't like they could carry a fortune around in a wagon for their travels. They would be set upon by bandits before they could leave the ferry landing!

His weary old mind spun with possibilities and risks as he almost cursed Seizo Kasumi for leaving him with such a monumental task! But, then, he remembered all the sacrifices that great samurai had made for his sake, and those of the people of the island and felt guilt for such thoughts. Kato had sworn his life to the service of the great man, and that included serving his only child and heir. He scanned the room and took in the conditions of the two half naked men and chuckled to himself. That vow of service might even extend to these stray warriors who had risked their very lives for his precious mistress.

As he finished the five grave markers and stood them in the corner to dry, he heard whimpering coming from behind him. He turned to see Fuu thrashing on her tatami mat on the other side of the shed. Nightmares. He knew this would come. Every soldier he had ever met had nightmares after their first kill; whether in battle or elsewhere. Poor Fuu, didn't even have the training to know how to deal with these tragic events.

As far as the old retainer knew, she was just an innocent girl caught up in the intrigues of distant powerful men. He had personally heard every report that came in from time to time from spies sent to keep tabs on this distant daughter. Her life had not been easy, or simple. He knew of her time running with a gang and rolling dice for a living. It was horrible what children had to do to remain alive in this cruel world. Still, there were large parts of her past that neither he nor her father was privy to. There was only so much a spy could find out without climbing into a person's skin and living their lives with them.

So, he prepared to waddle over to the girl and soothe her sleep. But before he had a chance to even rise off the floor, one of the bodyguards opened an eye and looked towards the sound. It was the one she called Jin. This was the one that was a Ronin; a samurai without a master; a wanderer. Kato stilled to watch the interaction. This was the first time he had seen awareness in either man.

Jin shifted slightly as the sound of Fuu's distress bored into his unconsciousness. It roused him from the slumbering darkness that had held him away from his pain. One eye opened to look at the blurry world about him. He saw the wooden roof and heard the 'ploink' sound of water drops hitting standing water. His fuzzy mind realized that the roof was leaking. This almost made him laugh since it was the first thing he noticed; something so inconsequential. Of course, considering he had not expected to ever wake again, after the fatal battle on the cliff, it truly was not an inconsequential sound. It was the most wonderful sound he had ever heard in his entire life.

A quiet sob pulled his waning attention away from the sound of the rain and he shifted his head slightly to look above him where the sound originated. His eyes focused for a moment on the pink kimono that indicated Fuu. His dreamy mind shifted as he thought, 'I shall always think of Fuu when I see pink.' It took a few more blinks before he realized that she was crying in her sleep. His instincts were to go to her and wrap her in his embrace to comfort her, but he was incapable of such movements. Instead, he opened his mouth and tried to call her name, but only a rough croak came out. So, as the healing darkness dragged at the edges of his vision, he snaked his right hand across the floor and took hold of her little hand that was balled up under her chin. Under his caressing thumb, her little fist loosened and her body seemed to relax. His last thought as he drifted back off to sleep was, 'Fuu, my friend." A tiny smile graced his lips as his eyes closed.

Kato watched the entire interaction with a tiny smile of his own on his withered face. Could it be that the samurai without a master had found one? A master for a samurai was not simply someone to hand out orders. A true samurai devoted his life to his master, and was willing to sacrifice his life for the one true master. Some even believed in killing themselves after their masters died. Ronin were samurai who found no master worthy of their respect or their lives. They lived only for themselves and fought only for themselves. This tall pale man had protected Fuu and fought against seemingly overwhelming odds. The old man chuckled at the thought of the samurai swearing allegiance to this little girl. It was a strange world, and stranger things had been known to happen. Still, what were the chances that she had found such loyal and able bodyguards in a teahouse fire? In truth, he could not wait until both men awoke to see how the three interacted.


	10. Chapter 10 End of Day 3

Chapter 10

Having finished the grave markers, Kato pulled the wadded up bundle of brown fabric out of the box of belongings where it had been hurriedly stuffed in the panic of the night before. It was obvious that Fuu had been working on making a shirt from the worn kimono, so he continued from the point where Fuu had ended. He had nothing else to do to occupy his time. He would not venture away from the shed while Fuu was sleeping. There was no telling what state she would be in upon waking. He truly hoped to never see her with that blank, dead look in her eyes ever again. But his experience around young warriors told him that he would. So, with the nimble fingers of a long time servant, he worked the needle into the tough fabric without complaint.

Half way through the afternoon, Fuu started moving, indicating that she was waking up slowly. As soon as her eyes blinked open, the old retainer spoke in his calm, soothing voice again about mundane things to keep her mind off the trauma of the bounty hunter. He rattled off the things they would need to make their trip to the fishing village outside of Nagayo. He also talked about the family he had there that would gladly help them heal and remain hidden.

Finally, after listening to Kato prattle on, Fuu seemed to shift out of the dazed state she had been in, and listened to what the old man was saying. She finally regained enough awareness of recent events to ask him questions. "Do you really trust your relatives to hide us and keep secret if the Shogun questions them?" Her eyes wandered over to the two men sleeping soundly close to her. With a bit of effort, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and waited for the old man's answer.

His smile was indulgent as he reflected on his family near Nagayo. His voice was high and enthusiastic, "Of course, Lady Fuu. They are survivors of the Shimabara Rebellion who were allowed to escape through your Father's bravery. They owe him their very lives. It would be a great honor to die to protect the daughter of such a great man in these unsettled times of persecution."

She still didn't seem convinced as she asked warily, "But, won't there be others around who are not quite so willing to die for us? I mean, there are so few people these days that would actually defy the Shogun. I won't put Mugen and Jin's lives in danger." Her hands began waving about her as she gestured with feeling over her subject matter, "And besides, the less people who know about us, the better it will be to avoid the authorities. I'd feel awful dragging innocent people into this mess." Her head drooped to her chest as her voice quieted, "It seems the Shogun wants me dead, and is willing to kill anyone who is even remotely related to me. No telling what would happen to your family if they harbored us."

Kato dropped the shirt he was sewing and leaned forward to grasp the dejected girl's hands. He stared up into her eyes with all sincerity, "Lady Fuu, I would not offer the protection of my family home if I was not completely sure that it would be safe. We live away from the main part of the village, and there are rarely any visitors to such a remote location. During daylight hours, the village is practically deserted because all the able bodied men and women are out fishing. Those that don't fish, tend the young. You would not even be noticed. There are many unused buildings on my sister's land that would be perfect for you and your friends' recuperation. And the best part is that if anything happened, the sea is available for a quick escape. We come from generations of able sea men and could navigate about the ocean for days without being detected." He gently returned her hands to her lap as he resumed the work on the shirt. "So, fear not dear lady. I will let no harm come to you and your friends."

Fuu sat and thought about this for a long time without moving. It seemed like the best option. There were just too many people on this island who knew their whereabouts for her to rest in comfort. Not only that, but it was obvious, by the assassin and bounty-hunters, that the Shogun and authorities knew they were here. It would be better to leave as soon as possible. So far on this journey, it had been up to her to set the course of the trio, like she was their compass or rudder. She was the motivation and the engine that kept the two wanderers traveling on a given course. It still felt like it was her duty to plot their journey until her friends were well enough to travel on their own again. So, she would have to decide what they would do in the next few days.

She sighed as she thought out loud, "I guess we should go about planning to leave. We'll need to gather our things and supplies. Then we'll need a way to get off the island without anyone knowing. We could just take the ferry, but then the ferry-man would know of our departure, and people might see us on the mainland." She chewed on the chapped part of her lower lip as she analyzed the different options she had contemplated before, and to see if anything new would come to mind. "If the guys aren't well enough to travel, we would have to cart them out, or something."

Throwing out a thought that he had not had before, the little retainer suggested, "It's possible that I could get one of my nephews to sail down here. We could meet at the docks when the ferry is gone, and no one would know where we went. It would save us from arranging for a wagon and horses to carry your injured friends. It would also be less jarring on their bodies. The roads are rather poor between here and Nagayo. If you would like, I could send a messenger today and we would probably receive and answer within two days."

Fuu turned this suggestion over in her mind. It definitely sounded better than trying to stuff them in barrels and haul them out like cargo. Plus, there would be no trail to expose the lie of the fake graves. Assuming the residents of the village did not tell. It would seem that they had truly perished here on the island. Not only that, but they could take as much as they wanted with them without having to explain where anything came from. She nodded her head for the retainer to send the messenger.

Thoughts of traveling needs and money reminded her of a question she had wanted to ask earlier. Her eyes glinted with mischief as she asked, "Kato-san, was there ever a time when the villagers gathered up weapons and stored them around the island in secret?"

The retainer gasped and peered about the room as if looking for prying eyes. His voice was low and concerned, "Lady Fuu, you really shouldn't speak of such things. There is no telling who might be listening. Why do you ask?"

She simply shrugged her shoulders and responded casually, "Well, if I were to find something like a large cache of weapons, would anyone claim ownership, or would they be mine?"

The old man's fuzzy eyebrows crimped down into a frown as he pondered this a moment. "I suppose, since keeping such weapons would cause problems with the local government officials that no one would want to be found in possession of them. Especially if there were foreign weapons in the batch. Since the Shimabara uprising, it has become increasingly dangerous for Christians to be found with weapons. "

Fuu grinned slyly as her plans solidified. "So, I could take those hypothetical weapons and maybe… let's say… sell them at a pawn shop, or on the black market, and no one would object? Assuming that I found such a thing."

His voice lowered again to barely a whisper, "Yes, my lady. If you found something like that, you could do whatever you wanted to with them. Provided you could get them off the island." His eyes glittered with mischief as he asked, "I wonder where someone would find something like that?"

Fuu looked thoughtfully up to the ceiling as she pondered her phrasing, "I suppose a good place to hide something like that would be in a place no one would ever think of visiting. Someplace where tragic memories would keep people away. A place of danger… like maybe the little church on the beach? That would make a good hiding place, don't you think? No one would think to look there." She looked at the retainer and winked at him. Then she added, "Maybe, later today, you could accompany me to go explore the ruins for such a treasure? I wouldn't know what to do with a bunch of weapons if we found anything. Then there would be the question of removing them, or leaving them in their hiding place until it was time to move them off the island."

Kato added thoughtfully, "And you would not have the experience with weapons to determine if any were worth saving. After so many years, they might be reduced to nothing but a heap of rust and decaying wood." A sly smile broke on his wrinkled face to match hers. It was good to know his new mistress was intelligent and crafty, despite seeming so innocent and clueless. Some things just had to be learned with age and experience. He commented on the removal of such weaponry, "Though, I think it would be safer, if something like that were found, to leave it hidden until it was time to leave or sell it."

Fuu clapped her hands together and said in a rather happy, sing-songy voice, "It's settled then! This evening, after dinner, we will go on a stroll to the beach! It will be like a treasure hunt!" Then, a hint of seriousness leaked into her voice as she added, "Do you think you could get one of your friends from this morning to watch the guys while we are gone? Not that I think we aren't safe, or anything. I just don't want Mugen or Jin to be alone if they wake up."

Kato could hear the underlying current of concern for the safety of her friends, no matter what words she tried to use to cover it. He was sure her sense of security in the little shed had been shattered with the arrival of the bounty hunter. No matter how hard the villagers had worked to keep them safe and hidden, it had not been enough. Honestly, he was surprised that she would consider leaving their safety in the hands of a villager. He would seek out the strongest swordsman out of the villagers that had trained under Seizo Kasumi to guard those precious to his new mistress. It was the least he could do since his efforts to protect her had failed. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled a reassuring smile at her and stated, "Of course, my lady, I will find someone to keep your friends company."

The remainder of the rainy afternoon was spent in a companionable silence as Kato worked on Mugen's replacement brown shirt, and Fuu began cutting out Jin's new kimono out of the bolt of navy fabric. By the time the sun was nearing the horizon, Fuu had cut out all the necessary panels for the navy kimono, and Kato had completed the brown shirt. Fuu commented, "I really want to make Mugen a red shirt also. I've never seen him in any other color, and it would just seem wrong for him not to have his signature color."

She held up the ruined kimono of Jin's and studied how much of the family crest was salvageable. The four diamond pattern on the left sleeve was intact along with the whole left sleeve. That would make a good sized travel bag, but she wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to have the crest shown so visibly. If the plan were to blend into the mulling crowd of common folk, it might be wiser to hide a crest which indicated that the wearer belonged to a noble house.

The crest on the back of the kimono was also intact, but most of the material towards the right side of the kimono was shredded. A plan formed in her mind to use the crest on the back to make Jin a money pouch that he could keep in his sleeve, and use the sleeve, turned inside out, for a travel bag with the crest on the inside. This was the best she could come up with to salvage something that obviously meant a lot to the tall, quiet man.

As she fingered the crest, she wondered about him displaying it so boldly. She was now aware that he had been manipulated into killing his master in self defense, and couldn't quite understand why he would want to stand out so. If he had been hiding, he would not have worn it. Was it possible that the crest and the unneeded glasses were an attempt to help his fellow disciples find him? Did he feel he needed punishment so he made it easy to be found? That didn't quite make sense though. If he thought he needed punishment, he would not have fought so efficiently when discovered. He would have made a half hearted effort and died at the sword of one of his former colleagues.

No, this seemed different. Maybe he was so obvious in an attempt to draw out the ones that had set his master on such a dark path that ended up with his death at the tall man's hands? After all, there did seem to be no end to the challenges he faced from all points. Maybe it was part of HIS plan to exact revenge for the senseless death? He was using himself as bait. Well, she would just have to break him of that habit. She had not gone through all this trouble to keep him alive for him to just keep taunting swordsmen and assassins to attack him. If she didn't know better, she would think he had as much of a death wish as Mugen did.

In truth, she didn't really think Mugen had a death wish. It just seemed like he liked courting death, but didn't actually want to surrender to it. After the whole blowing up on the pirate ship and surviving drowning, she was pretty sure that his will to live was second to none. As she glanced over to the still man with the blue tattoos on his wrists and ankles, she thought, maybe, that he simply couldn't avoid a challenge. It was like his entire being was defined by what he could do with a sword. If he wasn't the best, then he was nothing. Which was really stupid in her book but, then, she wasn't a samurai or a swordsman.

In her world, every moment was precious, and life shouldn't be thrown away for a silly challenge. Now, if it was to defend someone or some idea, she could understand. She had thrown herself into harms' way more times than she could remember. On this quest alone, she had risked death and dismemberment more times than she could count. She didn't even want to think about all the times she had stood between friends and death in the gang.

Still, she had to admit a begrudging respect for Mugen's determination to be the best. He truly seemed to almost absorb the fighting styles of those that he defeated. He was a master of imitation and improvisation. He took what moves worked, and discarded the ones that were simply for show. And despite his appearance to be undisciplined and lazy, she had seen how hard he had worked and practiced to challenge that Shouryuu guy, the Samurai killer, just after they had passed the Hakone checkpoint and before they met Shino. Come to think of it, Mugen always seemed happiest, and most alive, when he had thrown himself against an opponent that he wasn't quite sure he could beat or when he was annoying the ever-living Hell out of her. Men were so strange.

Fuu was startled when Kato stirred from his gentle sewing and announced that he was going to retrieve some dinner and a young man from the village to sit with the unconscious men. Somehow, she noticed from the long shadows beyond the door, that evening was fast approaching. A nervous excitement crept along her spine as she thought about revealing the cache of weapons that she had unearthed. Hopefully, there was something there of value that could be sold to finance their future travels. She wanted to make sure Mugen and Jin walked away with something other than their lives and a handful of memories. It was the least she could do in exchange for dragging them all over Japan.

She puttered about the little shed, feeling an odd sort of hyper alertness and nervousness. Every little noise and chirp outside made her adrenaline course through her body. If Kato didn't return soon, she felt like she was going to jump out of her skin. She fought her body's desire to run, long and far. She wouldn't abandon the guys for anything; even her own peace of mind.

To keep herself occupied, she dug out her faux diary and turned to a blank page to start a list of provisions they would need for the upcoming journey. Once she exhausted her thoughts, she began inventorying the supplies that Kato had gathered and comparing them against her list of necessities. The mindless activity didn't help her nervousness, but it did stop the desire to flee.

When footfalls sounded outside, getting closer to the shed, she tensed. Flashes of memory of the incident with the bounty hunter made her breathing hitch, and she snatched up a spare grave marker, and prepared to swing it at whoever might enter the shed. Sweat beaded on her forehead and trickled down her spine. Luckily, in the midst of her panic, Kato's gentle, kind voice called out to alert her of his approach.

The relief was so immediate that she almost collapsed in a boneless heap. As it was, she used the grave marker to support most of her body weight as she caught her breath. Then in a flash of embarrassment, she tossed the plank of wood back into the pile and tried to go about her puttering as if nothing had happened. She swiftly sat herself back before the kimono she was creating, and waited for her heart rate to slow to normal.

Kato and the strange man entered the shed and set about serving dinner for the three of them. Fuu eyed the newcomer with distrust. Even if Kato trusted this man, she didn't know him. Over the months of her quest, she had started to realize that most of the seemingly nice people she had met had some hidden darkness within them, or were out to hurt one of the trio. She really didn't want to be so jaded as to expect the worst in people, but she could only be naïve for so long. Eventually, reality would reassert its ugly head, and she would get hurt. Still, she made a conscious effort to keep seeing the good in people. It made the world a nicer place, if only in her own head.

After eating, and spooning broth down the throats of the two injured men, Kato assisted her in rising and exiting the hut. Fuu turned one last time and stared at the man she was entrusting with the only two who meant anything to her. Somehow, she felt as if she looked hard enough, she could read any hidden motives in him. Maybe he would crack under the pressure of her eagle-eyed stare? When that thought entered her mind, she almost laughed out loud at herself. Her? Eagle-eyed? Yea right. 'Okay, it's official. I'm delusional. Must have been hit on the head too much.'

With a lightened heart, Fuu stepped out of the hut for the first time in over twenty-four hours. She was actually feeling a twinge of excitement for showing Kato her treasure. Hopefully, there would be something there of value.

Kato noticed her trepidation of leaving and could only reassure her that Minochi was a disciple of her Father's and the men would be safe. She seemed to accept the situation and cheer up. Until they stepped out into the early evening air. Her eyes darted to the front corner of the shed like a frightened rabbit searching for the hungry fox. He noticed her involuntary movement away from the location where the bounty hunter had died and how she turned her head to look away from the memory. Yes, this was going to be hard on his new young mistress.

Fuu seemed to come to life the closer they traveled towards the destroyed church on the beach. Considering how many times she had traversed the path down the cliff, her natural clumsiness seemed to desert her on this trek. She babbled constantly of everything from her childhood to the supplies needed for the trip. By the time they had reached the ruins, she had added strips of leather, boy's clothes, and an extra flint to her list of things for Kato to retrieve the next day, along with the red cloth for Mugen's replacement shirt.

Fuu was shocked that her bruised ribs were not bothering her more as she nearly jogged towards the ruins and the sagging red cross that guarded its secret stash. She looked around at the surrounding cliffs and shoreline, making sure no one had followed them, or had seen them by accident. With the enthusiasm of a puppy, waiting for its master to toss a stick, she practically bounced as she waited for the little old man to catch up to her.

In a tense whisper, she explained, "There are weapons in a secret space under the floor below the cross. I covered up the exposed hole with some debris when I was here yesterday. Do you think you could take a look? I really hope there is something there worth selling. I really want to make sure Mugen and Jin have enough money to continue their travels without starving, like we did sometimes." Fuu kicked away the little pile of broken wood that she had shifted in front of the pried up board.

Kato kneeled before the cross, in a simulation of reverence. While he was there, he peered into the deep recesses of the floor and was astounded at what he saw. There were weapons of all nationalities, shapes and sizes. Surprisingly, most of them showed little rust, which was odd since the salt air could not have been healthy for the metal. Whoever had gathered these had made sure they would be battle-worthy whenever they were needed. He had an inkling that maybe Seizou had been the mastermind behind this secret collection. He was the only one with enough foresight to plan this. As such, it only made sense for possession to pass on to his only heir, Fuu.

He rose and turned to face his young mistress as he whispered, "Yes, there are indeed items here that you could sell. I suggest we leave them until it is time to depart from the island. It would be dangerous to have such things found in your possession." With a sly, maneuver, he pushed the debris back over the opening with his foot in a manner that looked like simply the shuffling of an old man.

Fuu rubbed her hands together gleefully, like a child eagerly awaiting a sweet treat. "Oh, this will be perfect. We can take them with us, and maybe you can find a pawn shop or merchant who is willing to buy them. Then the guys will have enough money to last a while on their journeys. Then, if they need more money, they can come find me. It will be perfect!"

As they trekked back up the cliff in the looming darkness, Fuu continued her discussion of they guys and money, "I wish there was some way to keep them from wasting all their cash on women and sake. Well, Jin probably won't, but I'll have to make a limit for Mugen, otherwise, he'll drink himself into oblivion."

Kato looked a little confused as he questioned, "Lady Fuu, I don't understand. Aren't they going to continue traveling with you as bodyguards? Why would you need to supply them with money?"

Fuu giggled a bit as she explained, "Well, they are only my bodyguards in the sense that I saved their lives and they promised to help me find the Sunflower Samurai in return. Since we found my Father, there is no longer any debt binding them to me. I want to let them go on with their lives so they can be happy. I owe them more than that, and if I can make their lives a bit easier by getting them money from time to time, that's what I'll do. Besides, it's the only way to guarantee that they'll come visit me!"

Half way up the cliff, the wind began to whistle and swirl about them. The first nip of an approaching autumn could definitely be felt in the air. The retainer asked further, "Have you decided what we will do after your friends are healed? You are more than welcome to remain in my family home. But whatever you decide, I will assist and accompany you. Your Father would have wanted nothing less."

Fuu stopped and stared at Kato. Her mouth hung open a bit as she questioned him, "You want to come with me? But, I just assumed that since my Father was dead, that you would head back to your old life. Why would you want to go with me? There will probably be times when I can't even pay you."

He smiled a gentle, indulgent smile as he tried to explain his reasons to this woman/child before him. "Your Father was a great man. He wasn't just my employer, but my friend. I devoted my life to caring for him, and I have no other life to return to. You have my loyalty and service for as long as I live even without pay."

As Fuu digested the fact that she now really did have a servant, he started back up the path. "So, have you decided where we will go after your friends leave?"

Fuu chewed on her lower lip in concentration as she explained, "Well… there was this monk that we met after passing through the Hakone check point. He was an ex-sensei and quite skilled in martial arts. I thought I would travel there and see if he would train me. I know it's a bit out of the ordinary, but I don't want to live the rest of my life in fear of an assassin finding me." For a second, just the thought of handling a sword made her want to retch. Still, it was something she needed to do to have any kind of future. "But, if you are going with me, I guess, you could travel ahead and maybe, I don't know, buy a house or something? You'd have to carry most of the money you said my Father left for me, because no one is looking to kill you. Besides, you are a more inconspicuous figure. No one would assume you carried a fortune."

Her mind spun quickly with thoughts and possibilities. "You could say you are buying the house for your "Master" and no one would know it was connected to me. Your Master loves traveling and wants a house always at the ready for when he stops by. When I get there, I'll be dressed as a boy, for traveling. You could say that I'm another servant. Or, maybe the Master's bastard son!"

Her voice got higher as she let the excitement take over, "Oh, that would work better! I could be his bastard son that he wanted to support, but wanted to keep away from his honorable wife and heir. I'm the black sheep of the family, the family scandal! That would explain why I don't carry a daisho, since only old, honorable, samurai families hand down daishos to their heirs. Being a bastard, no one will expect me to be proper and follow family traditions. I can stay hidden in the shadows, and no one will care who comes and goes at our house. It would make sense for our "Master", my fictitious father, to want me to be able to defend myself, so he would pay for training with the monk. Oh, this could be fun! I'll have to think more about this. Maybe, there's some way to sell the land that my Father left me without alerting the Shogun…." Her voice, like her thoughts, ran away into the enclosing darkness.

Kato chuckled at the creativity of his mistress. Who would ever think that pretending to be a bastard son would be so amusing? If this was typical of her adventures, he knew he would not be bored for the remainder of his life, serving as her attendant. If nothing else, he would have to exercise his own creativity to keep up with her.

Upon returning to the shed, Kato dismissed the villager who had kept vigil over the two injured men. Fuu made a quick inspection of her friends' conditions as the old retainer lit candles and barricaded the cracks in the walls, window and door to deny the howling wind access to their warmth.

Fuu was excited to see that Mugen had shifted around, and he swatted her hand away as she stroked his cheek. Typical Mugen! She had been eagerly waiting some sign of life, and he showed it while she was gone. Still, she couldn't be mad at the man. He lived to annoy her. She truthfully couldn't imagine what the pirate would do when he was alone without her and Jin to rile. He'd probably die of boredom, or come running back to find them. The thought of either end made her laugh gently to herself.

Not only had Mugen moved, but Momo, her trusty flying squirrel, had returned. Fuu had wondered about her little furry friend, who had vanished days before. The best Fuu could figure, Momo had deserted her when they reached the field of sunflowers. A shudder coursed down Fuu's body as she envisioned the field. She forced the thought out of her mind. The little creature who had returned was so stuffed, it was a wonder it could fly at all. The funniest thing was where she found her pet perched. The little brown flying rodent was sprawled, belly up, legs splayed out in all directions, on Mugen's chest like it belonged there. Actually, the squirrel mimicked the exact same pose as the man it slept on. A memory of Mugen threatening to eat the little ball of fluff echoed in Fuu's mind, and caused a second chuckle to escape her.

With the shed battened down as tightly as a leaky shed could be, the two awake inhabitants bundled up the two sleeping inhabitants, and they all settled down to end the third full day since their quest ended.

OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

AN: After looking at a Samurai Champloo website, I discovered that the name for the retainer was Zenkichi. Pfft! I like my name better, so there! So much for sticking with the Canon universe. Oh well, sue me!

Another note – just because Mugen hasn't had any fluffy moments with Fuu doesn't necessarily mean this is a Fuu/Jin story. Mugen was just hurt worse. I mean, he got gutted, crushed, shot and blown up. Hmm, I think it's a miracle that he woke up in a week! Apparently he had awakened before the scene in the hut in the anime, because he had some time to think about not wanting to kill Jin any longer. Jin also must have had some time to formulate his thoughts. I simply assume that they started waking up, but just not at the same time. And when they did wake up, they weren't actually aware. Haven't you ever tried to wake someone up in the middle of the night and they can talk and seem awake, but don't remember a thing in the morning? (I'm not talking about under the influence of alcohol!) I had to help wake my son up after surgery, and it was hilarious to see him look at me, answer my questions, then have his eyes roll back asleep. The nurse said the only way she got him to finally wake up was to say, "Time for school!" In the recovery room, I had to bribe him with his gameboy and the new game I had purchased for him the day before, to stay awake long enough for the anesthesia to wear off.

About Mugen/Fuu – I think Mugen has a lot of mental healing and growing up to do (Jin too for that matter) before he's really going to be ready for a relationship. He's extremely smart, and a deep thinker, if you watch the first episode, or when he's talking to Kohza about the stars looking down on them. I was also struck by Mugen's response to Kohza falling on his chest and begging to run away with him, "I'm not that kinda man." Intriguing. Is he not the kind of man to run away, or to take her with him, or to take what she's seemingly offering him? I've personally started thinking that he treats Fuu so badly because he was burned by Kohza's betrayal and doesn't want anyone to get close again, (assuming he and Kohza were close).

After studying my time line, I realized that this was the end of the third day following the near death of the traveling trio. Wow, I didn't realize how slow I was making time progress. But, that's just the way I write.

Someone once suggested that Fuu needed to wait on the guys to wake up to form plans. The more I re-watched the anime, the more it became clear that she was the one who made the plans, and she forced the guys to adhere to them. She would have had an entire plan in place with a backup plan long before the guys even woke up. So, I plan to continue to honor the character of Fuu portrayed in the show as the driving force between the aimless wandering. Personally, I love it when she chastises the guys for not following her plans, like when she's thrown in the brothel when they ditch her.

Special thanks to my readers who were generous enough to send me encouragement through reviews. It truly helps keep me motivated to continue this saga.


	11. Chapter 11 New Life, 4 days after death

.Chapter 11

The night was uneventful. A squall had blown in from the sea and shook the shed, but Kato had sealed up the cracks well enough that the warmth that had accumulated throughout the day did not seep out. Fuu found herself struggling to get to sleep as she listened to the moaning of the wind and the occasional snort or snore from the three men in the shed with her. It was unheard of for Mugen or Jin to actually snore. Their sense of self preservation rarely allowed them to sleep that deeply. Also, it was second nature for them to remain silent to avoid detection by enemies that skulked about in the darkness. Unfortunately, Kato did not seem to have that same skill, because he let out some incredible noises when he was asleep on his back.

She wanted to sleep, she really did. But for some reason, her body wouldn't relax enough to lose its grip on the waking world. Not only that, but every noise she heard sounded ominous and threatening. She tried to reassure herself that nothing could happen, but it didn't work. Every ten minutes or so, she would lean over to check the breathing of Mugen and Jin, and make sure Kato was still leaning protectively against the rattling door. In those instances, she noticed that the darkness was more foreboding than it had ever been. Each flicker of the flame from the lamp cast fearsome shadows that looked like ghouls. Why was everything worse in the dark of the night?

For a moment, Fuu thought of crawling over between her two friends for comfort and protection. Even though both of the guys were unaware, their very presence eased her fears. But, that wasn't right. She shouldn't be so dependant on them. A scowl crossed her face. When had she become such a wimp? She had spent the year before meeting these two, working and taking care of herself, alone. Before that, she had run the streets in the gang, but still depended on herself. So, she shook herself and told herself that her fears were hers alone to deal with. Besides, the guys would probably be going their separate ways soon and she needed to pull back a bit so it wouldn't hurt so badly.

She looked back on her life and realized that it had been cyclical. At first she had been alone except her Mom. Then, she was out on the streets, getting into trouble. Then she was accepted into the gang. For a while, she was not alone. Then, she had to leave them for her Mother's sake, and found herself alone again, most of the time. After her Mom died, she was truly alone. Then she met the guys and they were the catalyst to commencing her quest.

For months now, she had not felt alone, even when the jerks would occasionally (well, actually, more often then she liked to remember) dump her to go off and do their "manly" things. In the back of her mind, she knew they would return. Like the stray cat she kept as a kid. It would leave for days on end and suddenly appear when she was beginning to despair that it had died or abandoned her. That scruffy tom cat kept her company when her Mom had to work, and with it, she never felt lonely. As long as they fed the furry wanderer, he would return.

Maybe that's why it was so important to her to have money to offer the guys in the future. She knew, in the back of her mind that the guys would go off wandering after the quest was officially over. The money she would dole out if they ever came to visit her was like the food that kept that old tom cat returning to her door step, time after time.

How funny to analogize her guys with stray cats. For in truth, they were all strays; scratching, hissing and fighting. No true home, no family, going their own ways. Though, she just couldn't picture either Mugen or Jin snuggling up on her bed and letting her scratch their ears or pet their tummies. Still, it made an amusing image to chase away her fears. Come to think of it, Mugen did resemble a wily, battle scarred tom cat. Especially with those scars on his cheek that looked like whiskers. A light snicker escaped her, though the sound could not compete with the moaning wind outside.

How could anyone sleep through the awful noises caused by the storm? She half expected the shingles to fly off the roof and the boards of the walls to rip apart. The only comfort against the raging wind was the gently burning oil lamp set on a little ledge to the left of the door. The wick glowed a confident orange as it siphoned the oil out of the little bowl and offered it up to the hearty yellow flame. Still, it would only be a matter of time before the fuel was exhausted and the wick would burn out. She prayed to everything and everyone she could think of that she would be long asleep before that happened.

The wind shifted directions and attacked their shelter from the opposite side, causing Fuu to jump a bit. Her mind envisioned a stranger outside, beating the side walls with a large club. But, finally, the aggressive wind died down to a persistent roar which was actually rather soothing. With a sigh, Fuu finally felt a heavy, drowsy feeling steal over her body and drag her happily into sleep.

Somehow, the night seemed to vanish in an instant. Unfortunately, Fuu did not feel refreshed after the night's sleep. If anything, she felt even more exhausted. Her bleary mind recognized the feeling from right after her Mom had died and the first assassin attacked her. Back then, everything had been so overwhelming, that all she wanted to do was sleep for a few months. Not as in, all she wanted to do for a few months was sleep a lot, but as in, she wanted to fall asleep and stay asleep until a few months had passed.

But, just as then, she knew now that she had responsibilities and couldn't hide from them in sleep. Her tired mind thought, _'Man is sucks being responsible!_' Momo landed on her chin and peered into her closed eyes and squeaked, "Chi?" A half smile graced Fuu's weary face as she pried her sleep crusted eyes open to look at her pet. "Mrn'n Momo." She slurred. The tiny bit of fluff rubbed his head against her cheek in greeting. The feeling tickled enough to evoke a giggle from her sleepy form. The little head perched just at the end of her nose and let out another, "Chi?" Why was it that it always sounded like Momo was asking a question? Maybe he was begging for food.

Fuu brought a hand to her face and gently swiped the fur ball off onto her palm. There was no way he could be hungry again, considering how overstuffed he was last night. She absently wondered if Momo had slept the whole night curled up on Mugen. She sat up with less pain than usual, and glanced at the still spread-eagled pirate. Yup, she was sure Momo had slept there; just something about them being kindred spirits. They slept in the same pose; they liked the same body parts…. Mugen loved women's breasts, and that just happened to be where Momo liked to sleep when Fuu carried him. They both seemed to help her out when she was in a jam. They both vanished when it suited them. Maybe Mugen would be reincarnated into a flying squirrel when he died. But even if he did, she knew he would still find a way to come and annoy her probably by chattering at her all the time in squirrel talk. 'Can squirrels swear?' She wondered. Because, if it were Mugen, he would have to be swearing at least half the time.

Fuu noticed then that Kato was missing from the interior of the little shed. Only Mugen and Jin remained in their usual spots. The front door was swung wide open, revealing a bright, blue, chilly morning. The storm has blown through and only left behind snatches of white fluffy clouds dotting the horizon. Despite the shivering that the morning breeze inspired, she could tell it was going to shape up into a lovely, hot day. It would be a nice change from all the dreary, drizzly weather they had had since their "deaths."

Fuu had decided, somewhere in the deep night, that the day her father had died, and Jin and Mugen had almost died would be the day of their "deaths." They now had fake graves memorializing their passing. They would have to go out into the world as other people so as not to be targeted by the Shogun. Their quest ended on that day. It was almost like a rebirth… a new life. She had even picked out a new boy's name to use while traveling incognito, "Harada Fuuyuki!" It was close enough to her own name to get her attention when someone haled her, but not so close that assassins could find her easily. Besides, the Shogun would be looking for a Christian, orphan, girl. She would be hiding as a nobleman's bastard son. No one would ever suspect her/him! She had chosen the sir name of Harada because there were many branches of the noble family and it would be easy to claim a relationship without having to prove it. The name was familiar enough for the average citizen to recognize it, but not so famous as to have any relatives investigate her existence (or the bastard son's existence). Any little bit of added protection in her deception would be accepted. It was her life on the line, after all.

A sound broke into her thoughts and made Fuu's heart race in her chest as the adrenaline coursed through her body. Voices carried on the morning wind. They were distant enough that she could not make out the words, but close enough that she could tell they were male. Her mind involuntarily jumped to the conclusion that more assassins approached. She again snatched up her father's wakizashi and stood to guard her friends. This time, though, she wasn't going to just wait for them to come to her. She slipped towards the door and peeked past the door frame.

The sun blinded her for a moment as she searched for the source of the voices. Coming down the path from the cemetery was Kato and a young village boy. The boy was pulling a small wagon loaded with supplies. Just to make sure, Fuu glanced around in all directions for any other possible threat. When no one else jumped out from the waving grass, she stepped back into the shed to hide her embarrassment. Why did this keep happening to her? She had never been this jumpy in her entire life. Why was now any different?

She slumped back onto her little mat at the back of the hut and leaned into the rough hewn planks of the wall. The prickling of the wood against her skin and the splinters entering her back still didn't anchor her to the reality inside the shed. It was like she was there, but yet, not there at the same time. As she thought about this, her attention just seemed to drift away.

Kato and the boy neared the shed and the old man called out his approach so as not to frighten his new mistress. When he got no response, he continued on under the assumption that Fuu was still asleep. It took a moment as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room after trekking through the bright, morning sunshine. He was shocked to see Fuu sitting at the back of the room with a vacant look in her eyes again. Not only that, but she held her father's wakizashi across her lap with one hand on the hilt and the other on the scabbard. Had something happened in the short time he was away? A glance around the room showed nothing and no one out of place. What had happened? Had she woken from a nightmare? He kicked himself for not being here when she apparently needed him. This solidified his determination that using this boy for errands was the right choice at the moment. He knew Fuu worried about anyone knowing of their presence, but this boy could fetch tea and soup as well as Kato could. Besides, the boy was the son of Minochi who had guarded Fuu's friends while they explored the church for the hypothetical weapons cache. Minochi had been her father's prized, star pupil, and he was teaching his son in the same discipline. It was hoped that one day the boy would be as great a defender of the island as Seizou Kasumi had been in his prime.

The retainer and the boy cautiously unloaded the pull cart of the supplies. There was broth for the unconscious men, tea for all, and a hearty dish of rice, fish and vegetables for breakfast for those that were awake. All the while they moved about the room, Fuu's blank eyes followed their actions. The little boy shook in fear of the seemingly dead girl who stared at him. So, Kato rambled on about meaningless things as he had done the day before in an attempt to draw the girl out of her own dark thoughts.

While he waited, Kato handed Fuu a bowl of food and watched as she mechanically ate. The boy whispered to him in a voice that carried, as young children are known to do, "Kato-sama, what is wrong with the lady?" A deep sigh escaped the retainer as he turned to the precocious boy. The smile was tired that stretched his wrinkled face, "She has been through some terrible shocks in the past few days. Some dreadful, dreadful things. We must be kind and patient as she works through them. She is a wonderful, sweet woman whom I'm sure you will love, when she is herself again."

Doubt flickered across the boy's eyes as he looked up at his elder. The servant of their great protector had never spoken an untruth to his knowledge. His father trusted this man completely. The boy took one more look at the girl's otherworldly eyes and decided to trust the old man to know what he was talking about. Still, he added, "Her eyes scare me." in a very tiny voice.

Kato ruffled the boy's hair as he set the tea set in the center of the room. The old man knelt so his head was even with the boy's face and whispered back, "To tell you the truth…" he looked around the room like he was searching for spies, then continued, "her eyes scare me too, just a bit." With a shared grin, the two returned to unloading their supplies.

There was no way for Fuu to tell how long it had been since she last noticed the splinters that entered her back. It was a strange feeling to wake from a feeling similar to sleep, but to know you had not slept. Part of her mind knew exactly what the duo had done while she had only watched. She could see them in her memory as they laid out supplies, offered her food, and spoon fed broth and tea into her two friends. Her mind could even dredge up the conversation the two had carried on as they worked; something about scary eyes and running errands. She realized that Kato was working on the blue kimono she had cut out the day before, and the boy was setting up a small cook stove/heater in the corner away from the door. Neither male spoke.

Into the silence of the shed, Fuu's innocent, sweet voice asked, "What's your name?" The boy dropped part of the stove as he jumped at the sound. Unfortunately, it landed directly on his unprotected toes and he began hopping about and swearing as he clutched at his injury. Between the hopping and the clutching, the boy lost his balance and toppled over backwards to land on his rump.

Kato scurried over to inspect the injured toes while Fuu tried her best not to laugh. She covered her mouth to muffle any giggles that might escape, but the choked sounds came out her nose instead. The boy stretched out on his back and glared at her from the floor. She stuttered, "Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to frighten you, or to laugh." Then she burst out in a fit of teasing laughter.

The boy didn't seem to believe her sincerity, since she was still laughing at his misfortune. Still, his anger subsided as he noticed that the terrifyingly, blank eyes were gone. In their place, two mischievous stars twinkled in her face. Maybe the old man knew what he was talking about. In that instant, she seemed like someone he could probably like.

As her laughter died down, the boy regained his composure and his feet. With a blushing face, he retrieved the part he had dropped and turned back to his work. Kato addressed Fuu with the information she had requested. "This is Minochi-sama's son. Minochi-san offered his services to help gather the needed items for our comfort and travel. Since the nights are growing quite cold, we decided to install a small cook stove for warmth and meal preparation. Minochi-san is quite handy with such things and very reliable." Kato stressed this last part to make it clear that the boy would never reveal her hiding place to any official, even at the penalty of his own life.

Fuu frowned at the thought of dragging such a young boy into their web of danger. He couldn't be more than 8 years old, but his eyes spoke of much experience. Children should be allowed to be young and childish at that age. But, life was a tough taskmaster, and exposed the young to more than their childish minds could handle.

Since breakfast was over, and Kato had already stacked the dirty dishes to be washed later, he set about straightening the hut from the previous night. The boy, Minochi-san, finished the assembly of the cook stove and went back out to gather enough wood to last the next night. Fuu pulled out the blue fabric and carefully resumed stitching together Jin's second kimono.

Some time later in the morning, a deep, rumbling voice echoed in the hut as a man cleared his throat to gain their attention. Fuu jumped in her spot, and unconsciously reached for the wakizashi that rested on the floor beside her. Her eyes flashed to find the imposing figure of Minochi-sama standing in the doorway.

The old retainer stood and bowed deeply to acknowledge the presence of the villager. Minochi senior bowed back. His deep voice explained his presence, "Kato-san, the graves you requested to be made and marked are finished. We wished to have Lady Fuu's approval of whether they were adequate." A grin crossed the sun tanned face of the villager in the doorway, "Though, this will be odd having the grave's inhabitant approving of the grave after it has been completed."

Kato's old squeaky voice replied, "I'm sure the graves are fine. You are always so precise in any task you begin. So much like Seizou-san."

Fuu spoke up from her spot in the back, "I would love to visit the graves of myself and my best friends." She smiled. "Maybe we could think of a way to personalize them so anyone who comes after us will have no problem believing who supposedly occupies them. Though…" she glanced at Mugen, "I'm sure Mugen will want some ornate, gaudy marker to herald his 'passing' and lots of sake."

She carefully placed her sewing off her lap and raised herself to retrieve the broken swords she had collected from the beach. She presented them to the man in the doorway with an explanation, "I had thought it might be wise to use their broken swords as grave markers for further proof that they died here. Neither man would be caught dead without their faithful swords." She turned her face downwards to look at the pieces in her hands. "But, I'm not sure what I could use to enhance the believability of my own grave. I need my tanto, and the only other thing I have to identify me is my pink kimono. But, both were given to me by my late mother, and I'm loath to part with either."

The large man that filled the doorframe thought a moment then suggested, "What about your hair sticks? They are rather distinctive. You could purchase replacements in the first town you enter and no one would be the wiser." She thought a moment, and smiled. It was a good idea. She wouldn't need them after she started traveling as a boy. But, she'd still have to think about it.

Kato chirped from behind her, "So, Lady Fuu? Do you want to visit the graves this morning? I asked Minochi-sama to come by and guard your friends once the graves were completed. So, whenever you are ready simply give the command and I will lead the way."

The boy came up behind her and reverently took the pieces of broken swords from her tiny hands. He seemed to understand the implications of the metal he held. Anyone who studied the way of the sword understood the destruction of a beloved sword, and the significance of exactly how these two came to be in such a state. It took precision and strength to cut a sword in half. Only the greatest samurai were reported as having accomplished such a feat. And here was the evidence that the two injured men had both managed to do this. They must both be incredibly strong to wield such devastating force. The boy placed the pieces in a sack he had procured for the supplies and looked towards his father for approval. Minochi senior smiled and nodded his head at his son, who beamed at the gesture.

Fuu clapped her hands together and called out to the room, "Well, let's go see my final resting place." With a slight giggle, she stepped past the samurai villager and out into the bright sunlight.

The little procession to the cemetery was quiet and not quite somber. It was almost funny to see the evil men that had harmed her and her friends being laid to rest under someone else's names. Their spirits would probably never find peace in the afterlife, but that's about what they deserved. She didn't want them to rest in peace. She wanted them tortured for all the harm they had done. A tight knot twisted in her stomach as they neared the freshly overturned mounds of dirt.

The four graves were outside the fence that marked the community cemetery. Whether it was considered hallowed ground or not, she didn't know, and she truthfully didn't want to ask. They were evil, evil men; the assassin who killed her father and nearly killed Jin, the bounty hunter that nearly burned her friends alive, and the brothers that nearly killed Mugen. As she realized just who was buried under the layer of soil, it suddenly wasn't so funny anymore.

Memories she had tried to push out of her mind surfaced in a brutal manner. Scenes of sunflowers and eye patches. Chains and scythes. Cold, piercing eyes staring at her as the other touched and hurt her. Ropes and the taste of blood. The flashes of memory sparked in her mind and pain flashed across her body at the remembered injuries. She felt the urge to retch surface again, and her body turned cold. She turned away from the scene. In a tiny voice, she spoke to the little old man, "I don't think this was such a good idea. Suddenly, I don't feel so good." And for the first time in her young life, Fuu fainted dead away.

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Thank you for being patient for this update. Future updates may be farther in between than I'd like, but I still have a lot planned for this story. And fear not, the guys waking a bit more will be in the next chapter. It's not fair that they get to sleep away their aches and pains while Fuu has to endure hers awake. They need a bit of angst too.

So, happy reading, and review if you like.


	12. Chapter 12 No more enduring

If you had asked Fuu about women fainting, she would have told you that it was just an act to get sympathy. It was simply impossible for women to faint so gracefully to the ground as she had seen in the past. If you had ever accused Fuu of fainting in her lifetime, she would have been highly insulted and denied the possibility.

When Fuu hit the ground, it was far from graceful. Her body collapsed in on itself like a marionette whose owner dropped the controls. She didn't fall backwards or forwards, she just folded down on top of her legs in a heap. When she landed, her head hit the ground with a sickening thud. Neither Kato nor Monichi-san had been close enough to catch her.

Kato was shocked to see her collapse. He never thought that she would have such a violent reaction to viewing the graves. Was it the fact that they were marked for her and her friends or was it the occupants and the memories they invoked? He had no way of knowing at this moment, and it truly wasn't important. He ordered the boy to rush back to the shed and retrieve his father. For, as much as Kato wished he could, he knew his physical limitations. There was no way he could properly carry his new mistress back to the shed without unceremoniously dragging her.

The trusted villager sprinted down the path, followed closely by his frightened son. The large man gently scooped the pile of Fuu off the ground and turned to speak to the retainer. "What happened? She seemed fine with the idea of the graves?" As they proceeded back to the shed, Kato pondered the situation. "I don't think it was the graves as much as who was in the graves. She actually witnessed the assassination of her father. Then there was the bounty hunter that she killed to protect her friends. I'm not sure about the other dead, except that one of her friends was nearly killed by them. I think all this has just been too much for her to take in. She's acted strangely ever since the incident with the bounty hunter."

Minochi-sama looked into the frighteningly white face of the girl he was carrying and worried. She was not much older than his oldest daughter. It tugged at his paternal heart strings to see her in such distress. Poor thing was now all alone in the world as far as family was concerned. How would she survive the future? And what had happened in her past?

In no time, Fuu was gently placed on her sleeping mat at the rear of the little shed, and the men and boy retired outside to sit on a bench adjacent to the door. Being men, they had little experience with the care and tending of a fainted woman and decided to allow her to wake naturally to prevent any possible embarrassment.

In the stillness of the midmorning air, Jin shifted a bit on the floor. The hardness of the wood under his body was not unexpected, but the fact that he woke at all surprised him. The last he could remember was the darkness swallowing him after he and Mugen had faced off in their beach battle. He had known his injuries were extensive and probably life threatening. He had suffered grave wounds, more so than what Sara had inflicted on him; and that had been the worst he had ever been hurt in his samurai lifetime.

As Jin opened his eyes, the surrounding wood structure slowly came into focus. Unlike the times he had stirred from unconsciousness before, his mind was actually processing this experience, and he would remember it later.

His first thought was to search for Fuu. He dimly remembered seeing her tortured face as he squared off with Mugen on the beach. His heart had lurched in his chest as he realized the pain he was inflicting on the battered girl as she closed her eyes to the possible last act of one of her friends. It reminded him of the distraught look on her face that night at the river when they had talked cryptically about the future when the quest was over. She had not even thought that far; all her thought centered on a way to get her two companions not to fight that last battle.

With as little movement as possible, he craned his neck around to search of the petite girl. He registered Mugen's sprawled form a few feet away, and then a flash of pink caught his eye. He twisted his head even farther and felt hairs snag on the rough planks of the floor and pull from his scalp. But that was of no consequence. Having lived the life he led, such minor pain was beneath his awareness.

A frown deepened on his brow as he found Fuu lying on her back with her arms folded across her chest. She was terribly pale and still. He had seen many a corpse laid out in such a manner, and his heart trembled in his chest. There was no way lively little Fuu was dead! She was the embodiment of joy and perseverance in the face of hardship. She had reminded him that life was meant to be lived, not just endured.

He reached a trembling arm towards her calm face; afraid to touch her and confirm his fears. Still, he needed to know. If she were gone, it changed his whole world and future. The rough flooring scraped at the exposed skin on his long pale arm as he slid his hand closer. It was good that her head was towards him, and she was only about two feet away. She was actually laying on some of his long hair that had pooled about his head.

He hesitated that last two inches and finally held his breath as he moved to touch her cheek. It took a moment for him to realize that his hand did not meet with the cold, hard surface of a corpse, but with the warm, soft cheek of his young friend. His breath sighed out in relief as he gently stroked her lovely skin. He carefully reached further to turn her head so she faced him slightly. The ugly bruise he remembered on her other cheek had quickly faded to a shadow of what he remembered in his hazy dream. The little cuts and scrapes that had littered her face were mostly healed. He would have pulled her to him, if he could; so great was his relief at finding her well.

Now that he had ascertained Fuu's condition, he turned his attention to Mugen. The scruffy pirate was much easier to see since he was directly across from him, but his injuries were not visible from the side where Jin lay. The man had been placed facing the opposite direction, so Mugen's ugly, hairy toes were what greeted Jin's searching gaze first. If he had not been in so much pain, Jin would have laughed at acknowledging that at least there seemed to be nothing wrong with Mugen's hairy toes or shaggy legs. Considering how much the miscreant used his legs as weapons, that was probably a good thing.

But then his serious mood returned as he remembered the damage he had witnessed on his friend's body when they found him sprawled on the beach. A slash through his side under his ribs and a bullet hole in his gut were the worst of the list in injuries. The injured arm and hand were not life threatening and could be overlooked. The slash was cause for concern, but they had both survived similar wounds inflicted by Sara. But the bullet hole caused him grave concern. Anyone who lived by the sword knew that a stomach injury was the most dangerous, and almost always fatal.

It was a good sign that Mugen had lived through the first few days since the attack. Still, he was a long way from being healthy. Many strong men had succumbed to sickness that settled into their wounds long after the time for concern had passed. He would have to keep a close eye on Mugen for any such signs.

With everyone accounted for, Jin rolled back into a resting position and tried to take inventory of his own body and their situation. He felt a little uncertain as he had not planned for this eventuality. Normally, he had thought of and planned for any possibility, like a strategist playing Go. But he had not foreseen such a high caliber assassin attacking them. After the battle up on the cliff to save Fuu, he had not foreseen surviving. There was just no way. His final move had been the ultimate sacrifice to protect the one he had found worthy of fighting for. How ironic, that of all the lords and ladies in society that were unworthy of his sword, a small, orphaned girl of little means would earn such an honor.

He again craned his neck around to look upon the sleeping Fuu with wonder and a bit of awe. What was it about her? It wasn't her looks or anything that had to do with her being female. Many women had traveled through his life without making an impression. Most women were docile, and timid. Some were predators and ambitious. Fuu was more than that.

Fuu had risked her life to save Mugen from the execution, and he had simply gone along for the ride. Of course, in the back of his mind, he acknowledged that he went along because he owed her just as much as Mugen did for being rescued. He had never had anyone else rescue him like that. It had been a strange, humbling experience. All his life, he had been self-contained; never relying on anyone other than himself. At that time, his own strength and skill had not been enough to extricate himself from the clutches of the provincial governor.

As he really thought about their journey, he came to realize that there were other times that Fuu rescued him. Strangely enough, even the incident with Shino had Fuu rescuing him. Even though she had yelled at him and not supported his decision, she had raced to his aid with his swords and dragging Mugen. He could even look back and see that she had indirectly saved him from dying at the hands of his "little brother," Yukimaru. Had it not been for her scream, he would have fought on half-heartedly until his death at the hands of his ex-friend.

Fuu was wily and crafty and quick on her feet. She was focused and determined. Somehow, she had reintroduced the concepts of purpose, meaning, duty and honor into Jin's apathetic existence. He had found someone who had not succumbed to the disillusionment of life and had not wallowed in selfish pursuits. Even in her quest to seek revenge against her father, she had been driven, not by her own need, but to seek retribution for her Mom. There was no telling how many times she had thrown herself in harm's way to protect a friend, or even just a mere acquaintance. Duty and honor burned brightly in her soul, showing him the way life ought to be. They weren't just musty, old words taught in a cold dojo. They were living, breathing concepts that governed her chaotic life.

He remembered many nights, after their incident with Okuru, where he had lain awake and her words echoed in his head. "The world would be a dark place without a sense of duty." How long had he wandered in this world in darkness? How many wise men had he asked about the dilemma between freedom and duty? How strange that a litte girl held the answer. He had never been the same after his parents were killed. He had never fit in at the dojo. He had never found a path that lead him to the light in all the years he had endured his life and training at the dojo. Enshiro Mariya had even asked him to "endure" the changes that were turning the dojo into an assassin training school. His dark world had become even blacker after that. How had evil invaded his world to turn his respected master into a late night assassin? In some part of his mind, he was glad that Master Enshiro had been such a poor assassin.

Somehow, as he lay on the floor of what was a tiny shed, he realized that thinking about "enduring" made him remember Shino. She had been like Fuu in some ways, on the afternoon when she was making memories before her world was taken away from her. Yet, he had felt a kinship with her sense of impending doom as she stared into the canal and contemplated ending her life instead of suffering the horror of what was to come. He had figuratively stood on that same bridge in his own life and knew the torment she must have felt. He had meant to save her from further suffering by telling her that the fall would not have been enough to free her, but would only have crippled her.

After he had seen her for the first time in the brothel, his mind had been plagued with images of the horrors she would have to "endure." The beating he had accepted had been his only form of penance that could ease his guilt for his part in her suffering. He had to free her. There was no other choice. Even though he had made Fuu a promise, he could not leave Shino to suffer alone for the rest of her life. He would free her from what he could not free himself from. She would not have to "endure."

He had told Fuu the truth when he said it wasn't guilt that motivated him that night to abandon their quest and help Shino. It was deeper than guilt. It was self-preservation. IF he could show her that there was a path out of the darkness, then maybe he could believe there was a path that would lead him to the light too. He was no longer content to just "endure" his life. He would find his path and actually "live" his life.

Fuu had shown him the beginning of the path, but it was up to him to follow it out of the gloom. Fuu was a lantern, a beacon, a hope, a dream. She was strangely enough, the perfect balance between freedom and duty. Whereas he knew himself to be tied to duty, and Mugen to be the epitome of freedom, Fuu found she could be both.

In their travels, he could feel himself shifting further away from the chains of what he thought was a warrior's duty, and closer to Fuu's definition of duty on a personal level. It was different from the blind obedience he had been taught that encompassed a warrior's duty. He had the power to choose what was worthy of his skill. He had the power to choose what was worthy of his time and attention. He had the power to choose who he would follow and who he would protect. Was this what his master had meant when he said that Jin had used his power for himself alone? Was he talking about this type of choice of who he would use his power for?

Fuu's duty was not so much a concept, but a loyalty to those she found worthy. He was shocked to realize that she found HIM worthy of such loyalty and honor. She had proven it in many ways, the last he could remember was her attempt to keep them out of the final battle. She had worried herself almost sick before their talk at the river. He had begun to mention that if he didn't survive the battle, but she wouldn't let him talk. He wanted to reassure her that he would be with her after the quest was over, but she couldn't accept that at the time. Now he understood why. She had been trying to separate herself from them to spare them all the inevitable. In the end, they were again thrown back together. He would have laughed if he didn't feel like his insides would spill out on the floor from the movement.

"Poor Fuu." He thought. This must have been so hard on the girl. Jin's brow creased. Had Fuu ever gotten to see her father? Jin had been in such pain on the boat ride over to the island, and the walk up the cliff, that he had only thought about saving Fuu and killing Kariya. After he had slain the assassin, his only thoughts had been about checking on Mugen's condition. Everything was a blur after that, so he couldn't remember is Fuu had mentioned meeting her father. But, then he remembered the final fight with Mugen. That couldn't have happened unless the quest was over. So, she must have met him. His brow evened out as he wondered what that meeting was like and whether Fuu had gotten her revenge. His eyes closed as his body demanded more sleep to heal itself, but his mind pondered Fuu's revenge as it slipped away into sleep. He didn't truly think she wanted revenge as much as just wanted the man to know all the suffering he had left behind. She had endured much also, and now she could put an end to that chapter in her life. "Maybe we are all finished with just enduring. Each day should be special and meaningful. Each morning could be the last that we get to lie in the sun." He thought, and then slept again.

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AN: No, I didn't die. I got a job that saps most of my creative juices before 3:00 P.M. I'm posting this chapter without the extensive review and re-review for spelling/grammar/punctuation errors. Please forgive any glaring errors as I felt it more important to actually post something that was slightly defective, rather than sitting on this chapter another week to get around to editing.

In the next chapters, the guys will be waking off and on and having to deal with the shocking realization that they lived, that Fuu lived, and that they have proven that they are equal in the way of the sword. Oh, and they have to face the fact that they are both nearly defenseless without their primary weapons.

As far as Fuu, I promise, no more fainting. I personally hate fainting for effect, but she was just overcome with the rush of emotions that seeing those graves brought back. She's a smart girl. I'm sure she'll figure out what triggers the bad reactions, and start avoiding them. Or who knows, she might just use her normal routine of plowing through any obstacles? Who knows?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little foray into Jin's thoughts as much as I did.


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